The Hunt
by Roeschen
Summary: 1981: Sirius took Harry. Together with Harry he has to hide from Voldemort, his followers and the Order of the Phoenix. His only ally is Sara, who has never heard of the magical world before...
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **The hunt

**Author: **Roeschen

**Summary: **1981: Sirius took Harry. Together with Harry he has to hide from Voldemort, his followers and the Order of the Phoenix. His only ally is Sara, who has never heard of the magical world before…

**Disclaimer:** Though I don't own Harry Potter, I own my story!

**

* * *

****Chapter 1 **

Sirius Black stared stunned at the partly destroyed house and the Dark Mark hovering highly above him in the grey sky. _What had he done?_ Firmly clutching his wand, he carefully went along the narrow pathway which led to the house. 'Oh, please let them be alive!' he begged fervently. He knew, however, that his wish, his desperate hoping was only an illusion. He stepped through the open door, halted a moment and strained his ears.

It was ghostly quiet, no sound could be heard. As an instant later the light of his wand illuminated the dark hall his gaze fell on a person who was lying at the bottom of the stairs and he felt his world breaking down.

"James," he whispered in a brittle voice and sank to his knees next to his best friend.

"_No,_ James, please wake up, wake up!"

He lifted James up and held him in his arms. Tears began to burn in his eyes. In the meantime his mind was trying to understand what had happened. James, who had been like a brother for him, was dead. It had only been a few days ago since he had said goodbye to James, believing that his friend and his family would be in safety from now on. How very much mistaken he had been. Why hadn't he seen that Peter was the traitor? He had persuaded James and Lily to switch the Secret Keeper; instead of him they had taken Peter in the end and that only on his initiative. His conviction no one would ever assume Peter Pettigrew to be the Secret Keeper of the Potters, had turned out to be a deadly mistake, And now Peter had betrayed James, Lily and Harry and had handed them over to Voldemort. The guilt he felt seemed to engulf Sirius.

Sobbing, he laid James slowly back. Then he went upstairs and set off to search for Lily and Harry.

Blinded by tears he stumbled into the nursery, where he found Lily lying as well on the ground. Her dark-red shimmering hair was sprawled around her head like a fan and almost it looked liked as if she was sleeping. Dazed, he bent down, picked Lily up and bed her cautiously on the settee.

The squeaky voice, which so unexpectedly rang out, startled him.

"Sili, up!"

Fast as lightning Sirius spun around. He hardly dared to believe that...Harry was alive! There, behind the cradle which had fallen over, Harry was sitting and staring at him with wide eyes. Sirius raced towards him and hauled the child into his arms. His godson was alive! Half laughing, half crying he hugged Harry close to himself. So tightly he was holding the little child that Harry protested against it and began to cry. Loosening his grip, Sirius shook his head. How on earth had Harry survived the attack? It was a mystery. That the Death Eaters had let Harry alive struck him as a miracle beyond all description.

"Don't cry, Harry. It's okay," he murmured.

Only now he noticed the strange wound on Harry's forehead which seemed to resemble a bolt of lightning. How long he was crouching on the hard floor, he didn't know. Unable to move he just sat there, stared into space and was holding his little godson as tight as possible.

Steps on the stair caused him to stand up. Sirius took his wand in his hand, pointed it at the opening of the door and held his breath. His heart began to pound painfully in his chest. A little later Rubeus Hagrid entered the room. Relief flowed through Sirius. His trembling subsided.

"It's so sad. They were the greatest people I ever knew," the half-giant cried.

"And Harry has defeated You-Know-Who. I would have never guessed that such a thing would happen one day. But now I must bring Harry to Surrey," he continued and ran his hand over his face.

Sirius thought he had misheard.

"You surely do not want to say that Harry should live with his aunt and uncle, do you? They are terrible! No, I'm his godfather, I'll never allow that."

But in the same moment he realized that no one was aware of the fact that they had switched the Secret Keeper. How he knew the Ministry they would probably throw him immediately into Azkaban without wasting any thought.

The Death Eaters! Would they pursue him? If it was true that Harry had defeated Voldemort, but no, _that_ _couldn't be true!_

"How do you know that Harry has defeated Voldemort?" he asked.

Hearing the name of the Dark Lord, Hagrid flinched.

"Dumbledore told me. Harry has survived his Killing Curse. But now give me Harry, Albus is waiting."

A one year old baby had defeated Voldemort? Dizziness overcame him. It was as if he couldn't think straight anymore. What should he do? He wanted to kill Peter, wanted to get his revenge and wanted to let him pay for this inexpressible betrayal. It was impossible, however, even if he would have wanted it more than anything else. Under no circumstances could he abandon Harry.

Never would Lily's half- sister raise his godson, the son of his best friend.

Away! He had to leave this place as soon as possible. The only question was where he should go to, he thought gloomily. Then there was Hagrid. He would never let him go. When Hagrid got an order from Dumbledore, he would carry it out. Pleas would not convince him.

Sirius didn't want to do it but he saw no other solution. He raised his wand and yelled,

"Stupefy!"

Hagrid, who hadn't realised what was happening, fell to the floor. Sirius' glance rushed through the room and after indiscriminately stuffing a few things of Harry into his pockets, he fled out of the nursery. In his arms he carried the little saviour of the wizard world.

* * *

In the meantime Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall were waiting at Privet Drive. Slowly, Albus was getting worried. Actually Hagrid should have been here long ago. Had something happened? The headmaster of Hogwarts riveted his gaze on the overcast sky and sighed. He had still difficulties to understand the events which had taken place today. His spy Severus Snape had come to him and had told him with an expressionless face that he had accompanied the Dark Lord to the Potters and hadn't had any possibility to warn anyone anymore. Potter and Lily were dead but their son had survived and for inexplicable reasons had somehow managed to defeat the Dark Lord since he had not only survived the Killing Curse as Severus assumed but had also caused the disappearance of Voldemort. Albus hadn't been able to believe it. 

"Why haven't you brought Harry with you?" he had asked Severus disconcerting. Severus had merely shrugged his shoulders.

"He had only a small cut on his forehead, otherwise he was fine. I wanted to report back as soon as possible."

Albus had shaken his head and had rapidly decided to send Hagrid to fetch little Harry.

"Do you really think that Harry will be in good hands here?" Minerva asked with doubting voice and thus jolted him out of his thoughts. Distracted, he turned to her and nodded,

"Harry will be safest staying with his aunt and uncle, Minerva."

After waiting a while longer, Hagrid still hadn't appeared and Albus decided to apparate to Godric's Hollow. Minerva followed him. One moment later they stood in front of the little house. They crossed the garden and went through the open door.

In the hall they saw James Potter lying on the floor. In the nursery they finally found Hagrid and Lily.

In that moment they heard loud steps and then about a dozen of Aurors and Ministry people edged their way through the door.

"Is it true that You- Know-Who has been defeated, Albus?" Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, shouted from the door, while waiting for everyone else to make way for him.

But Dumbledore didn't answer him. Bending over Hagrid, he mumbled quietly,

"Ennervate."

Hagrid's eyes fluttered and he slowly sat up. In his face dismay was mirrored.

"Harry! He has him!"

"Who has Harry and what happened?"

"Sirius has him. Suddenly he took his wand and cursed me. I couldn't do anything."

Albus looked as if his worst suspicions had come true.

"Sirius Black was the Secret Keeper of the Potters. We must find Harry as soon as possible," he said and watched how Minerva's eyes widened distraughtly. She clapped a hand to her mouth.

"He betrayed them?" she shouted.

"Albus, what exactly happened?" the Minister, who finally had managed to enter the nursery, wanted to know impatiently.

Deeply sighing, Albus raised his head und looked at the Minister.

"I think we should hold immediately a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix and the Ministry."

* * *

Relieved, Sirius fell on the narrow bed. After cursing Hagrid and leaving Godric's Hollow he had apparated straightaway to his house at Grimmauld Place. There he had picked up a bit Muggle money, some other items he would need perhaps and his broom. Due to his unconsidered Apparation, the Aurors would know that he had been there. Well, he couldn't change that anymore. 

Then he had flown to a cheap Muggle hotel, somewhere in the east of London. Now he was lying on his bed. Harry he held in his arms. The little child was crying and so Sirius tried to rock him to sleep. Softly he sang a lullaby to him. His efforts, however, weren't exactly successful. Harry didn't stop to cry and called for his mother.

Sirius heart broke. What could you say to a one year old child, whose parents had just been killed?

While both of them were lying snuggled up in the bed, Sirius felt a strange emptiness seizing him. Suddenly the loss hit him with all its force. How frightening fast his world had changed.

Only a few hours ago he had – unsuspectingly and fairly in a good mood – decided to go for a walk. He had wanted to relax from his profession as an Auror which seemed to him even more stressful since James had gone into hiding. Inhaling the cold air he had turned his steps unconsciously towards the area where James, Lily and Harry were living. He missed his friends greatly and the thought that he wouldn't see them for so long till there wouldn't be anymore a need for them to hide, had only made him more depressed. Who on earth knew how long it would still take to defeat Voldemort or if he would ever be defeated at all? A little while later he had seen the house and the Dark Mark.

Sirius swallowed as he suppressed the memories and the hopelessness. But he couldn't give up. If he did that Harry was lost. Gently he stroked Harry's black hair. He would protect Harry, he swore and for that he would do whatever was necessary.

As Harry finally fell asleep, completely overtired, Sirius was still lying awake for a long time and staring in the darkness.

* * *

At Hogwarts the members of the Order of the Phoenix were meeting. Remus Lupin was shocked. A few minutes ago he had discovered what had happened in Godric's Hollow. The tragic events had hit him and while sitting completely paralyzed on his chair he refused to believe what he just had heard. 

How could Sirius have betrayed them so? How could he ever have joined Voldemort? It was incomprehensible, he couldn't understand it. Looking at the door, he expected James and Lily to come inside every moment and that everything would turn out to be a terrible nightmare.

In the meantime Peter Pettigrew, who was sitting opposite to Remus, tried frantically to decide what to do. Should he run away or should he stay? Apart from Sirius no one knew that Sirius had come to him a few days ago and had urged him to become James' and Lily's Secret Keeper. The first moment Peter had been so astounded that his problems would be solved in one go that Sirius had had to ask him a second time before he had been able to answer. But things had gone totally different as he had thought them to go. Never would he have imagined that Harry would defeat the Dark Lord.

The Dark Lord's followers would surely search for him. They would blame him for the downfall of their master. This thought caused him to shudder. As long as Sirius wouldn't turn up, he would be safe. He knew very well that the Order would get suspicious should he suddenly disappear without trace. No, it was much better to wait. He just had to play the mourning friend. No one would ever think of suspecting him and everything would turn out all right. As he realized that he hadn't understood a word of anything which had been said the last minutes he raised his head and concentrated.

Severus Snape just announced that his Dark Mark had nearly disappeared. Albus frowned and said in a grave voice,

"It's of the greatest importance that we'll find Sirius Black. He's dangerous and we can't allow Harry to be in his hands any longer than necessary."

Minerva gasped for breath.

"What are you getting at? He won't kill Harry, will he?"

"I don't know, Minerva. The possibility is there. He has betrayed James and Lily to Voldemort. So we can't preclude that he'll harm Harry. Even if he lets Harry alive, he will surely raise Harry to be a loyal follower of Voldemort. That we have to prevent at all costs."

"What exactly has happened, by the way, Albus? Harry has defeated him, hasn't he? He won't come back, will he?" Cornelius Fudge asked with a worried expression on his face.

Thoughtfully folding his hands, Albus leaned forward.

"I do not know anything more than you about what has happened, Cornelius. Whatever the reasons, Harry survived the encounter with Voldemort. But I'm sure that Voldemort will return. I believe Harry has put Voldemort out of action only for a short time.

Our first priority is, in my opinion, to find Harry. About the exact reasons for the today's happenings we can talk later. Perhaps we'll never find out how Harry survived."

"I'll immediately see to it that every available Auror starts looking for Black and the Potter child." Fudge said.

"Everyone will search; the more the better." Albus replied firmly.

* * *

At the same time Voldemort's followers had gathered in a dark and gloomy house far away from Hogwarts and were holding a similar meeting. Lucius Malfoy, who had declared himself the new leader, let his eyes wander over the Death Eaters.

Through the numerous spies in the ministry he had heard very quickly what had happened and he knew that should he not make a mistake and if would act wisely, he had a never returning possibility to gain unbelievable power. He was sure that his master was alive. If he succeeded in finding him, everything else would show itself.

First of all he had to find his master, however. The second task would be to find the Potter child and to gain control of him. Lucius, after all, knew why his master had wanted to kill the Potters by all means and he knew that his master would be pleased if he would be able to hand him over the child. Lucius quietly smiled, while thinking how he could put his plans into action.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The next morning Sirius was woken up by a loud cry. Startled he shot up in his bed and looked frantically around, until realizing, where he was. He was still rather exhausted as he hugged Harry and tried to soothe him. The baby needed milk and something to eat, he thought a moment later. The question was only where he should get that. Then he remembered that the hotel provided breakfast. As he showered Harry briefly, his godson fortunately stopped his crying since he was playing fascinated with the water. Sirius sighed relieved. Harry's cries didn't exactly help to calm his nerves. After he had dressed Harry and himself, he wanted to go downstairs.

A loud crash prevented that however. He flinched, spun around and saw a brown-white ball gluing to the windowpane. It took a moment until he recognized his owl which was carrying a large white thing – it looked like the Daily Prophet. Sirius seated Harry on the bed and fetched his rather dishevelled owl inside. The bird chirped shortly and settled at the window seat. Harry, who had watched the events intently, laughed and reached for the owl with his tiny hands. In the meantime Sirius' gaze fell on the front page. There he saw a large photo of James, Lily and Harry. A photo of himself was also beaming back at him. How on earth had the Prophet got hold of these pictures? It seemed that the Daily Prophet hadn't been able to decide which headline to choose since there were several at once.

_'You- Know- Who defeated by one year old Harry Potter'_

_'James and Lily Potter killed by You-Know-Who'_

_'Death Eater Sirius Black betrayed the Potters'_

_'Harry Potter kidnapped by Sirius Black'_

If it hadn't been so terrible Sirius would have laughed about the Daily Prophet. But the pictures only reminded him of the previous night. He had hardly begun to read through the various articles as he was interrupted by Harry who started to cry again. Sirius laid the newspaper on the bed, picked Harry up and went downstairs to the dining room. Apart from them there were merely two other guests present. He sat down and began to feed Harry.

"Miks"

Sirius looked clueless at Harry, while pondering what Harry could mean with this.

"What do you want?"

"Miks." Harry repeated, raised his tiny hand and wanted to grab the cup.

"Milk! Be careful, Harry, otherwise you'll knock over the cup."

While Sirius tried to feed Harry und to eat simultaneously, he repeatedly cast short glances at the television which was standing in one corner and was switched on. He had been always fascinated with all the objects which had been invented by Muggles. The first television he had seen in Godric's Hollow. Lily had wanted one in her house.

Suddenly he saw something on the screen, what caused him – with a fiercely sweep of his hand – to knock over his glass of coffee. He saw himself.

As he was staring spellbound at the screen, he didn't notice that the coffee soaked the table-cloth and that Harry tried to paint a picture on the desk, using the soft butter. The voice on TV was saying that he was a dangerous criminal, who had killed a couple and had abducted their one year old son. Sirius felt how panic rose in him. _Had anyone recognized him?_

He was such an idiot. He had forgotten his wand or better said he had left it in his room.

Although he had learned as an Auror that that was the one thing you never – under no circumstances – were allowed to do. He had to disappear from this hotel as fast as possible. The owner would very likely recognize him once he had seen the news. Sirius stood up and picked Harry up as his glance fell on the table which looked by then as if there had taken place a battle. A moment Sirius looked at Harry's pictures which contrasted with the soaked table- cloth. Shaking his head he shrugged his shoulders, hid his face behind Harry's shock of hair and went out. Luckily he arrived at his room without any complications. He seated Harry on the bed and began to pack the few things. Then he stopped abruptly. _Where should he go?_

The whole thing was a nightmare; a terrible nightmare. He had to go away. That was for certain. That was most important.

The owner of the hotel whom he had paid yesterday could recognize him any time and could call the police. He finished packing and turned to Harry. Meanwhile the baby had decorated the blanket with its butter stained hands. Sirius stared unbelievingly at the blanket, then at Harry who was looking at him cheerfully. Careful Sirius picked Harry up and went to the bath-room.

Minutes later Sirius and Harry were flying far above the ground. His owl flew next to them. They were invisible – at least Sirius hoped that – since they used James' invisibility cloak. Occupied with developing a plan how it should go on, he was trying to hold his broom with one hand and with the other to clutch Harry. While it had been easy to fly with Harry only yesterday, today it turned out to be rather difficult. The baby writhed in his arm and reached with his hands for the clouds.

After a brief while Sirius was shortly before losing his nerve because Harry threatened constantly to slip out of his hands.

Suddenly he remembered that the Potters possessed a little house in Canada. James had told him once. It was unlikely that Dumbledore or anyone else would know about this. The idea was perfect; he had, however, a small problem. He didn't know the exact location of the house. As Canada was too big as he would have been able to search the whole country, there was only one possibility. He had to return to Godric's Hollow. Perhaps James had left something behind that would help him. Twenty minutes later he landed carefully in the garden of Godric's Hollow.

He was totally exhausted. To prevent Harry from falling down had been more strenuous than his Quidditch games in Hogwarts had ever been. With Harry in his arms, he went inside. There he felt how he was seized by an icy shivering. He felt trapped. Actually he had never had the intention to return to this house. His eyes fell on the spot where he had found James. It had happened only yesterday but to him it seemed like an eternity had passed already.

He took a deep breath and entered the study.

There would be the most likely place to find something useful. Harry mumbled something what he couldn't understand and began to cry while trying to free himself of his grasp. Sirius sighed. He felt so tired that he could have fallen asleep immediately. But he knew that he couldn't stay here for long. Aurors could come and look for him.

He put the crying Harry on the ground and began to search through the drawers of the desk. While doing so he felt like a criminal. He found some Muggle money, various keys and a pile of papers which he immediately skimmed. Finally he found what he had searched for, a little address book which was made of leather. When seeing the address of the house in Canada in front of him he would have loved to jump in the air.

He turned towards Harry but his godson had disappeared. Cursing he stormed into the hall. The baby was just stumbling upstairs. Sirius, who already imagined a falling Harry, raced upstairs and took him in his arms. Harry mumbled again something unintelligible and gave him a kiss on his cheek.

"Don't do this ever again." he said sternly.

"Yehthee." was Harry's answer.

Sirius went upstairs and in Lily's and James' room he fished out a large suitcase.

In a hurry he packed everything in that could be suitable. He packed nearly the entire content of Harry's cupboard and all of those toys he easily could reach. Since the suitcase was magically, there fortunately wasn't any problem. His broom also disappeared into the suitcase.

To ensure that he wouldn't be recognized immediately he cut his long hair short and changed it into a dark blond. He put a little green cap on Harry's head and then he left the house. In one hand he carried Harry, in the other the suitcase. As he had crossed the garden, he cast a glance to his owl who had made herself comfortable on one of the trees and shrugged. Well, she would find him, he thought. Two streets away he climbed into a taxi. Half an hour later he was at the airport. Three hours later he sank totally exhausted in the soft seat of the aeroplane and while clutching Harry to his chest he fell asleep at once.

* * *

Meanwhile some Order members and Aurors were standing in the hall of Godric's Hollow. They had followed Black's way. Yesterday they had gone to Grimmauld Place, only to discover tat it had been too late. Black hadn't been there anymore. Today in the morning the Ministry had heard about a phone call. A Muggle had rung up the police and due to this call they had been able to find the hotel. Other Muggles had called some time later and reported something strange they had seen in the air. It had looked like two legs, they described.

The last Muggle had seen this mysterious thing near to Godric's Hollow. So they had gone here. That nearly the half furniture had disappeared was the first thing they noticed. They had come too late again.

Remus Lupin was standing in Harry's nursery and was staring at the overturned cradle. Unable to move, he shook his head. _Why had that happened?_ _Why had Sirius done that? Why?_

But he didn't find an answer, no more than he had found one the previous night which he had spent wide awake in his armchair. Only in the morning tiredness had finally overwhelmed him. As he had opened his eyes little later, he had an aim. Without eating breakfast he had left his flat. His thoughts were only governed by Harry. They had to find him. He didn't doubt that they would succeed. The ministry had instructed everyone with the search for Harry it could spare and the entire Order also helped. The government of the Muggles was informed, too.

Of course the Muggles hadn't been told the entire truth. The magical Ministries of the other countries in Europe were as well in the picture about the events.

While the magical world was celebrating the downfall of the Dark Lord, Remus knew that he could only be happy again when Harry would be found. And he would help the Aurors to find Harry. This aim, this task would at least distract him from the immeasurable grief.

He looked out of the window and thoughtfully regarded the garden. _Where had Sirius gone to?_

* * *

The following day at seven o' clock Sirius left the airport. In his arms Harry was sleeping. Sirius pulled his coat tighter to himself, he shivered. On the street a bit snow was lying and it was cold. A while later he was sitting yawning in a taxi. Although he had slept a little in the aeroplane he still was tired and exhausted. In the middle of the night he had been woken up by Harry and since then he had been awake; for the reason that Harry had wanted to play by all means and had thought nothing of falling asleep again. So Harry was napping now.

Sirius kissed Harry's dishevelled hair, turned his head and looked the remaining drive out of the window. The landscape which passed him, he, however, ignored fort the most part.

One hour later they arrived at their new home. After paying the taxi driver, Sirius focused his attention on the house in front of which they stood.

It was old and rather dilapidated. In the garden grew a lot of plants in a total chaos and the grass was at least a half metre high. It was more a rundown place, he thought with a sigh.

That he really had needed. He went across the garden, stopped in front of the entrance and searched for the keys he had found in Godric's Hollow. After an eternity he found the right key. Harry, whom he was holding with one arm, was watching him fascinated, as he unlocked the door.

Stepping into the house they were enveloped in a cloud of dust. Harry had to cough and began to cry. It was obvious that no one had lived in this house for years. So Sirius quickly went outside again, where he tried to bring Harry to stop his heart-rending cries.

"Do you need help?"

Sirius flinched and spun around. There on the street a young woman was standing. She had brown long hair, dark eyes and was wearing a blue tracksuit. She smiled at him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Curiously Sara Lennox stared at the young man who looked rather tired and the cute baby who was crying. She had been jogging, like she did every morning, when she had noticed them. The old house, of which no one had the faintest idea whom it belonged to, had been unoccupied for years, so it was only natural that she had become curious when she suddenly had seen someone standing in the garden.

"Yes, I… think I could need a bit help. He just doesn't want to stop crying." the man said, looking slightly worried.

"Maybe I could try it." she suggested.

For one moment he considered her carefully but then he approached her and handed her the baby. Sara took the little boy in her arms and rocked him while softly humming to him. His big green eyes stared at her and surprisingly his cries stopped abruptly. Sara felt how she immediately became very attached to the little child. On his forehead he had a strange scar and Sara wondered how he had only managed it that the scar looked like a lightning. While a few sporadic tears were still rolling down his cheeks he suddenly began to speak,

"Mummy."

After saying this one word the little child began to whimper anew. His cries were heart-rending.

Sara lifted her head and gazed at the black-haired man.

"He misses his mum."

"Yes, his mother died a few days ago."

Shocked Sara clapped a hand to her mouth.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." she softly said.

She felt uncomfortable, didn't quite know what to say more and instead looked around.

While studying the old and derelict house she made a quick decision.

"Do you want to come with me? I could make you breakfast and perhaps we'll manage then to soothe him."

The light blue eyes of the stranger widened surprised.

"That would be really nice of you. Thank you very much. I didn't know that the house was so uncomfortable. Probably it'll take hours to make it habitable to some degree again."

"Yes, that's most likely. I'm Sara Lennox by the way and you?"

For a short moment she had the expression that fear flashed through the eyes of the man but then he shook her hand, smiled and said,

"Nice to meet you. I'm James Evans and that's Harry."

"It's nice to meet you as well. Then come, Mr. Evans."

With the Baby in her arms, she waited, until he had fetched the large suitcase, which had been standing in front of the door. Sara began to walk along the empty street to her house, while Harry was tugging at her long hair. She didn't mind it however in the slightest.

In the meantime Sirius sighed silently. What had he been thinking? Now he had to trust a complete stranger. Although she was very probably a Muggle, you could never know it for hundred per cent. Furthermore, why on earth had he introduced himself as James Evans? But somehow it had been the first name which had popped up in his head. His gaze flickered back to Harry who seemed to enjoy it playing with Sara's hair. Fortunately he finally had stopped his crying.

Minutes later they were standing in front of a blue painted house with a small garden.

"Could you hold your son shortly, Mr. Evans? I've to unlock the door."

Sirius flinched and hoped that Sara hadn't noticed this, while taking Harry.

After Sara had opened the door, she led them through a narrow hall into the kitchen.

"Please sit down. I'll make us something to eat. And for Harry warm milk would be the best, I think."

While Sara was making breakfast, Harry tried to free himself from his arms.

"Sili!" he suddenly exclaimed radiant with joy.

Instantly Sirius froze. Harry, because he hadn't been able to say 'Sirius' had just like that begun to address him as 'Sili'.

Apart from this it suddenly occurred to him hat Harry wouldn't say 'Dad' to him. How should he explain that to Sara? He could only hope that Sara wouldn't get suspicious. The young woman turned around, smiled and asked curiously,

"What did Harry say? I didn't understand it at all."

He flinched slightly and looked up. Why was he so jumpy lately? Really, slowly he became rather hysterical or the events had shaken him more than he would want to believe.

"Ah …I don't know. He often says things I don't understand."

"Oh, of course but he'll surely learn it soon. How old is Harry by the way?"

"He's one year old."

"So, the milk is ready. Can I feed Harry? Then you can eat undisturbed."

"Sure and thanks a lot for the breakfast. That's really nice of you, Miss Lennox."

"You're welcome. But you can call me Sara."

"And I'm Si…ah… James."

How stupid was he that of all names he could have said to choose the name of his friend? Now he had to bear that Sara would address him with James' name. For a moment he closed his eyes, sadly remembering his friend.

"James, are you all right?" Sara's worried voice jolted him out of his thoughts.

"Yes, Yes. I'm only a bit tired."

"Then eat and when you've finished I'll show you the guest room. I think it will do you good if you sleep for a while. You can stay here for a few days. That isn't any problem. Tomorrow we can begin to take care of that house of yours."

Sirius was utterly astonished that Sara would let a complete stranger live in her house but he was very grateful for her help as well. Slowly the strains of the last days became apparent.

One hour later Sirius had fallen in a deep and dreamless slumber while Sara, who was quite taken with Harry, was playing with the raven-haired baby.

* * *

In England several people had gathered on a small graveyard to attend the funeral of James and Lily Potter.

Remus Lupin's slender face was marked by deep mourning, while Peter Pettigrew who was standing next to Remus made a rather nervous impression.

To say that Peter felt uncomfortable was an understatement. Looking at the ground to avoid seeing the coffins, he listened to a little persistent voice in his head which was screaming that he himself had caused that. But he suppressed this thought very quickly. Yawning he longed for the past. How he wished that everything wouldn't have happened. Then everything would be still well and he didn't need to be so much afraid.

The last days he hardly had slept. Nearly dying from fear that a Death Eater who hadn't been caught yet or Sirius Black would suddenly appear in front of him to kill him.

It was strange that he now feared a man who had been once one of his best friends.

While Peter was worrying, Remus silently mourned for his dead friends and swore them to do everything what was necessary to find Harry. Unfortunately they hadn't found the slightest hint to the whereabouts of Sirius and Harry since yesterday. It seemed almost so that Sirius and Harry had vanished into thin air.

* * *

Lucius Malfoy came exactly to the same conclusion. Due to his power, money and his many useful connections it had been downright ridiculously simple to convince Cornelius Fudge that he had been under the power of the Imperious Curse and thus couldn't be blamed for all the crimes, he had committed. The Minister of Magic was really a fool, Lucius thought disdainfully. But that had always turned out to be an advantage so he should be pleased about Fudge's lack of intelligence.

While pacing trough the room, he suddenly spun around and riveted his attention at some people who were also present and began to shout,

"Are you so dense that you even aren't able to find Black and that Potter child? They've to be somewhere after all! And I want to know where they are! I don't think that Black would go into a hotel. No. He is much too clever for that. He'll look for a place he considers safe and I bet this won't be a hotel. Perhaps…yes, bring Pettigrew to me. Perhaps he knows, where Black could hide and if not we'll help him to remember. Now go and do for a change something useful."

Minutes later Lucius was alone. While bending over a map on which Europe could be seen, he pondered about the place where Black had hidden with Potter and what was more important where the Dark Lord was staying. But soon they would know it. He had sent his best men to search for their master and to find him. Hopefully they would return soon with the expected good news.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

It was in the middle of November when the Death Eaters, who Lucius Malfoy had sent out to search for their master, returned and brought him news that the Dark Lord, though very weak, was still alive and currently hiding in a forest in Romania. After they had related everything that the Dark Lord had ordered them to tell him, Lucius gave a self-satisfied smirk while congratulating himself for being such a genius.

A few days ago some of the Death Eaters had finally managed to kidnap Peter Pettigrew and it had been more than easy to convince him to tell him everything he wanted to know. Although Peter hadn't a clue where Black could have gone with the child, he had told Lucius the name of the Potters' lawyer and this information had turned out to be extremely valuable. He had allowed Peter to leave, thinking that perhaps this stupid, ignorant creature could still be of some use to him later.

When you came to think of it, you never knew what might happen in the future. Yesterday, with the help of five other Death Eaters he had broken into the house of the Potters' lawyer and, after a little torture session, his victim had been very talkative. As soon as he had discovered everything that was worth knowing, they had killed the man and taken all the papers with them. He had found out that James Potter had owned some properties other than Godric's Hollow. One house in Canada, one in France, one in Scotland and even one in Italy. Information which had really surprised him, he had never thought that Potter was that rich. Immediately he had given a few of his people the task to find out which of these countries Black had disappeared to.

Knowing that Black and Potter had been inseparable and as close as brothers he believed that it was very probable that Black knew of the different houses. Perhaps he had even been with Potter in one of the houses in the past. Of course, there was also the possibility that Black had gone somewhere else, but he doubted that.

He had spoken to his wife, who was a cousin of Black and she had told him that Black hadn't any other properties anymore. Only the house in Grimmauld Place belonged to him and there he wasn't hiding. Lucius went to his desk and began concentrating, trying to plan the preparations he had to oversee to give his master his body back and to help the Dark Lord to rise in power once again.

A few days later Sirius stood in the living room and looked tiredly but very proudly around the room. In the last weeks he had managed to clean the house and make it comfortable again and he was finally finished. Every room of the house was now shining in new glory.

It had taken longer than he had actually expected, but it hadn't been as easy as he had imagined in the beginning.

As long as Harry was with him it had been absolutely impossible to work as the little baby had always kept him from doing so. Sara, who taught in a primary school in the mornings, had watched Harry in the afternoons, while he had make every endeavour to get the house habitable again.

Apart from that he hadn't used magic of course, and sometimes he had found the Muggle methods rather abstract but he had wanted to avoid Sara becoming even more suspicious than she already was due to answering her questions, where he had lived before and what profession he had, quite evasively. Then he had requested her to not ask him anymore questions because he didn't want to speak about his past. It seemed that Sara had reluctantly accepted this. It had become critical only when she had wondered why Harry was calling him

'Sili' but there he had only shrugged his shoulders and had said that it was unexplainable to him as well.

"James! Supper is ready!" Sara shouted and so Sirius cast the room a last glance and marched into the kitchen, where he found Sara and Harry sitting at the table.

Nearly one week ago he and Harry had moved out of Sara's little house and had come here and his owl had finally found him in as well.

Sara, who had quickly discovered that he couldn't cook at all, had offered to help him in preparing the various meals.

Obviously she didn't trust him to feed Harry properly himself. But if he was honest he had been more than relieved that she was helping him to take care of Harry. He had never before spent so much time alone with Harry. There had always been Lily, who had taken care of Harry in the first place, and it was quite another matter if you often visited a little baby or if you had to look after one and be entirely responsible for such a little child.

He had often asked himself why Sara was helping him so much. He assumed, however, that she was doing it mainly for Harry and that she just had taken his godson into her heart. It was of course no wonder. Harry was the cutest baby in the entire world. But lately he somehow wished that she wouldn't do it only because of Harry. Sirius sat down and looked at his godson who seemed to be currently playing happily with his carrots.

The first days had been terrible due to Harry constantly crying after his parents. After Harry had realized that his parents wouldn't come back, like they always had before when they had left him in the care of their friends, Harry had had a lot of fierce crying fits and he and Sara had had extreme difficulties soothing the little child and to get him to stop crying.

Furthermore, he had always been scared that Sara could notice that Harry also screamed for his Dad. However, since Harry had cried most of the time without calling for his parents, it luckily hadn't attracted her attention. But now it seemed that Harry had somehow accepted his parents' absence.

"No, Harry. You've to eat the carrots, not play with them." Sara said and picked Harry out of his highchair and began to feed him.

Sirius couldn't help smiling at the view in front of him. They looked so cute together. While watching them, he felt how sadness and the feeling of guilt rose in him again. It was wrong. It shouldn't be Sara who had Harry on her lap and was feeding him, no, it should be Lily, and it shouldn't be him that watched them, it should be James.

"James? James! Are you alright? You looked so strange for a moment." Sara asked in a worried tone, interrupting his thoughts.

He gazed at her and shook his head.

"No, everything is fine, Sara. Really."

Sara eyed him doubtfully but fortunately didn't say anything more and continued feeding Harry. Then the small baby began to cry for no apparent reason. It wasn't his normal behaviour, however, because his cries increased in seconds to an unbelievable intensity and Sirius quickly became very worried, seeing that all over Harry's little face fierce pain was written.

Sara, who tried to soothe Harry, looked puzzled. But Sirius sensed with deadly certainty that something was extremely wrong. After all, he hadn't finished his Auror training for nothing. Tensely, he stared at his godson and when noticing that Harry was reaching with his tiny hands for his forehead, and that Harry's scar was glowing dark red he was seized with a fear beyond description. He spun around, went quickly to the window and tried to peek carefully out.

"James! There's something wrong with Harry. I can't calm him down!"

Sirius had just been frightened to death, however, having seen some shadows in his garden and he knew immediately that it was of the greatest importance that he got Harry and Sara out of the house as soon as possible. _How the devil had they found them?!_ Whoever they might be who were standing outside.

Without wasting another thought he spun around and sprinted upstairs to his room where he fetched his wand. He thrust it into the pocket of his trousers and rushed downstairs.

"Sara, come, we've to leave the house immediately." he said fiercely.

Sara stared at him as if he had lost his senses while rocking Harry slightly.

"What? Why? We've to help Harry. I think we should call a doctor, James." she replied and looked up at him.

"No. Come now. I'll explain later."

Sirius picked his crying godson up and grabbed Sara's arm. Then he dragged her out of the room.

"James! What the heck are you doing?" Sara shouted and tried unsuccessfully to wrench her arm out of Sirius's grasp.

"Be silent for God's sake! Please be quiet! Otherwise they'll kill us! I'll explain later. Trust me!"

Sirius led them through the backdoor while letting go of Sara and clapping a hand over Harry's mouth, hoping desperately that he wouldn't suffocate Harry, but his screams were too dangerous. Carefully he crept across the garden. Sara followed him and was, for whatever reasons, fortunately silent. In the meantime Sirius listened and tried to figure out the current locations of their followers. He came to the conclusion that they were still on the other side and, as strange as it sounded, they seemed to be waiting. But for what or who Sirius couldn't say.

Were they Death Eaters or had the Order of the Phoenix found them? But as a matter of fact it didn't make any difference who the people creeping through his garden were, it was only important that they had found them.

After some minutes Sirius had led them to a small forest, never having ceased to listen intently to the muffled sobbing of Harry. When taking off his hand the cries rent his heart and he noticed with shock that Harry's forehead felt burning hot.

"Explain, James. Immediately. Or I'll call the police." Sara's voice quivered slightly as she looked up at him.

"_What was the point of that just now? _And what's wrong with Harry? And who wants to kill whom?"

Sirius stared at Sara as if he had just remembered her presence and said,

"Sara, the truth is a bit complicated and you probably won't believe me. But now there isn't time for that."

Sirius pressed Harry closer to himself while frantically thinking what he should do now.

"The truth? You told me lies the whole time, didn't you? And I trusted you! Who are you? A criminal?"

Suddenly an agonized scream escaped Harry's mouth and he began to writhe and wriggle.

"Oh God! Harry needs help! We need a doctor!"

"Sara! A doctor couldn't help Harry at all! Believe me!"

Sirius tried to calm himself but his thoughts were a chaotic tangle while his heart was racing twice the speed as normal. What the hell had caused Harry's condition? What was happening to Harry? That Harry was in great pain was obvious. Was Voldemort perhaps the reason for that? Sirius looked down at Harry's scar which was now glowing bright red and he found his guess more and more logical. His brain tried frantically to search for a solution so he could help Harry but he hadn't the faintest idea.

"Give me Harry, James. Now! I'll take him to the hospital!"

Sirius cursed silently and looked at Sara who was staring at the wriggling Harry in his arms,

her face contorted with fear.

_What should he do?_ Sara didn't trust him, of course it wasn't a surprise after what had just happened, but now it only complicated the situation.

Harry's screams, he was sure, could be heard for miles and would probably soon alert the figures in his garden or the residents of this area, his concern over Harry reached its greatest heights and to sum it up the situation couldn't be any worse. Nothing that he had ever learned in his Auror training could have prepared him for such a situation. He grabbed his wand, and before Sara could think of attacking him to rescue Harry, he shouted,

"Imperio!"

He ordered Sara to come with him and with her and the crying Harry in his arms he ran further into the forest. He knew that it wasn't a brilliant idea; if he was honest he didn't know what to do and that he now had kidnapped Sara would develop into more problems later on as well. But his most important aim now was to make sure that no one could hear Harry's screams and that no one would be able to locate their position. It was just too dangerous. To fight alone against those strangers was hopeless. But there had to be something that would help Harry. Or wasn't there anything?

To say it briefly, he panicked. With his fear over Harry increasing more and more, he realized how much he loved his little godson.

* * *

Severus Snape gasped for breath while pounding with his fist against the door of Albus Dumbledore's bedroom. After a period of time which felt like eternity to him the door opened and a sleepy looking Albus stared curiously at him.

"Severus? What on earth happened?"

"Minutes ago the Dark Mark on my arm started to burn with incredible pain and the image is getting clearer from second to second. As you know, after the Potters were killed and their son defeated the Dark Lord, the Mark almost vanished. But now it has nearly the same sharpness and clearness as before Halloween." Severus said while he couldn't suppress the slight tremor that sneaked into his voice.

Instantly Albus' eyes lost their twinkle and the two wizards looked at each other. Both had very grave expressions on their faces. They knew the meaning of this. They were both intelligent enough to draw immediately the only right conclusion. But it seemed that neither of them dared to say the meaning of the events aloud, as if they believed that as long as they kept it a secret, it wouldn't be true.

"What happened?"

They turned around and saw Minerva McGonnagal who looked at them with worried eyes.

"I heard the noises so I woke up." she continued.

"Voldemort. We believe that he's just getting his body back, Minerva." Albus finally said in a resignedly voice.

Minerva turned ashen, staring unbelievingly at them.

* * *

One hour later the Order of the Phoenix had gathered. All were shocked and didn't want to believe the new developments. Since they had found the lawyer of the Potters dead in his house they had increased their efforts to find little Harry.

None of them had believed that the murder of Potter's lawyer had been an accident. They suspected that the Death Eaters had committed the crime and they had evidently been searching after something. The state of the crime scene had made this conclusion obvious and they had a pretty good idea what they had searched for. At least they knew that the murderers hadn't found anything important.

Albus, who had spoken with James's and Lily's lawyer one day after Halloween to ask him if James had other properties where Black might have disappeared to, had only discovered that Godric's Hollow was the sole possession of James and Lily Potter. Since then Albus blamed himself heavily for not thinking of the possibility that the lawyer could be in danger. But now it was too late.

Dumbledore's gaze wandered over the many people present and said,

"Now it is more important then ever that we find Harry. Voldemort is back. There is no doubt about it and when Black gives Harry to Voldemort I rather don't want to think about the consequences. Apart from this we have to begin fighting again of course."

The wizards and witches stared at each other, fear and fright written all over their faces. None of them could believe that just three weeks ago they had celebrated and they had been overjoyed and full of hopes for the future, a future without fear, without war. But now all their hopes were shattered.

In the meantime Remus Lupin stood near the window and looked out at the lake which was shining slightly in the darkness. His hope to find Harry quickly had vanished into thin air and his hope to see Harry alive ever again also. With the resurrection of the Dark Lord it would be nearly impossible to find Harry. As soon as Harry was at the mercy of Voldemort…Remus shuddered. He couldn't allow himself to imagine that terrible thought. He turned around and his gaze fell on Peter, the last of his remaining friends. Peter looked dreadful and since Halloween he seemed to be in a state of constant fear. His behaviour was strange and it had slowly begun to worry him.

It seemed that his friend had aged in the last time very much but perhaps he shouldn't attach too much importance to this.

He himself probably didn't look much better. The terrible happenings had affected them both extremely and had changed their lives forever. Remus began again to concentrate and tried to listen to Albus who spoke with a grim but determined look on his face.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The Dark Lord gazed disdainfully at the little teddy-bear who was lying on the floor, while cold fury was rising in him. After his most faithful followers had finally helped him to gain a body again – of course it had taken them much too long –he had heard from Lucius Malfoy that they had discovered the whereabouts of that wretched Potter child.

As he had arrived here, however, he had had to learn that his followers were even too stupid to capture one single wizard and a one year old child, although this child had almost killed him. A fact he still couldn't believe and understand. Nevertheless he would kill the baby as soon as he had found it. He had to kill at just like his parents. Apart from that it had ridiculed him. He, the most powerful wizard of the world, had been put out of action for three weeks, by a baby! But for that it would pay, too. He would find the child and Black, even if his Death Eaters had to search every ever so tiny spot of this world.

* * *

Sirius Black was sitting leant against a tremendous oak and was staring vacantly in the slowly rising sun while countless thoughts were racing through his head. Although he hadn't slept the whole night he was wide-awake. The events of the previous hours hadn't allowed his mind to calm down. Worriedly he cast his eyes down again and regarded his godson whom he was holding securely in his arms definitely for the thousands time. One or two hours after they had escaped from their house Harry had fallen asleep totally exhausted. Putting a hand on Harry's forehead Sirius sighed. It was still warmer than it normally should be but thank goodness Harry wasn't glowing anymore like he had earlier.

He was breathing calmly and his scar had lost the angry red colour. Whatever had caused Harry's state, now he was definitely feeling better. Sirius was almost sure that Voldemort had been the reason. The question was only how he had managed that. Had he returned? Cursing the world Sirius asked himself what he should do now. If Voldemort was indeed being among the living again – dead he had been scarcely – he would surely look for them and if he had found them, he would kill Harry who had defeated the Dark Lord for a short while.

Sirius shuddered as dreadful fear was rising in him. He knew that he couldn't protect Harry. Not, when they would find them. Furthermore he was sitting at the edge of an unknown forest, kept warm merely by his magic – yesterday he had only run with his one thought to flee as far as possible – and had not the slightest idea how it should go on now. To return would be probably too dangerous.

Whoever it had been in his garden had discovered that he had sought refuge with Harry there. But how had they been able to find them?

Suddenly he slapped his hand against his forehead and groaned. Of course, the sole possibility was Mr. Cole, the lawyer of James and Lily. How could he have forgotten him? Only now it slowly began to dawn on him that his decision to go to Canada hadn't been safe at all. Cole knew everything about the Potters, at least about their properties. So he also knew about the house in Canada and probably others. Agitated Sirius sat up straighter as his thoughts flashed across his mind.

He must have been attacked and the Death Eaters had found the papers. Sirius nodded. Now he was convinced that it had been indeed Death Eaters. Had Voldemort sent them there? But why then had they waited in the garden instead of attacking them? Since he was almost sure that Cole wouldn't betray him if there was the tiniest chance that it would harm him, he could assume that he hadn't told Dumbledore anything. Did the Death Eaters murder Cole?

Actually it was very likely. Sirius thought back to the battle in Fairford. As the town had been attacked by Death Eaters he had saved Cole's life and that of his children. Only later had he discovered that this had been James' lawyer. The proud man had sworn to him to repay his debt someday and although Sirius had told him that he didn't expect a return favour, he hadn't been able to talk him out of his vow. He could understand it however; most likely he hadn't acted otherwise. In the magic world it was a matter of honour to settle his debt. So he could be sure that Cole hadn't told anyone about James' other possessions if he had believed that he had fled there.

His thoughts wandered forward and suddenly he had to think of Remus, wondering what he was doing right now. Asking himself if it wouldn't have been better to go to Dumbledore and Remus and to try to tell them the truth, he sighed. At least he wouldn't have been in such a dreadful situation right now.

But he had been afraid that they would drag him to Azkaban.

Would they have really done that? Would Remus have allowed it? He shook his head and with fright he realised that he didn't know the answer to his question. Before the war, before Voldemort he wouldn't have even dreamt of asking such a question at all. At the time he had been firmly convinced that every one of them would have gone through fire and water for each of the others. James, Remus, Peter and he himself would have done everything for each other; never had he doubted it, till the war had started and had changed everything.

He had begun to suspect Remus and to believe that he was a spy.

Pained he closed his eyes and with sudden realisation he grasped that he had been also afraid to face them, guilty and ashamed that he had doubted Remus while Peter had been the traitor and whom he had trusted. Now it was too late however. Never would they let him finish speaking if he would go to them. They wouldn't believe him. They would see his escape with Harry, his attack on Hagrid as a confession of guilt. Yet it had been almost a reflex. Totally stunned, shocked and filled with inexpressible sorrow he hadn't been able to think clearly and so he had run away. Sirius sighed deeply.

He couldn't know what would have happened if he had stayed but what if they hadn't listened to him and had thrown him into Azkaban? Then Harry would have been raised by Lily's half-sister and that was a place where his godson would have been in the worst hands. What would have happened to him, he rather didn't want to imagine closer. But he knew that it wasn't so out of place to believe the Order and the Ministry to be capable of such behaviour. In this war the people had begun to change. Hate, distrust and wariness had emerged, even in families who had loved each other while Voldemort had been exercising his terror and so many supposed 'good ones' had turned out to be Death Eaters.

The mercilessly fear and hate let forget all reason. So not always attention was paid to evidence, he had witnessed it himself. Even he had suspected Remus. Why had he actually done it? An instant later he caught his breath as he realised that he had suspected him just because him being a werewolf. What a person was he? He had allowed himself to be deluded by prejudices and those had blinded him to see the real traitor.

A soft noise startled him, he turned his head and his gaze fell on Sara who was just waking up. As soon as she had gone to sleep he had lifted the curse but now he felt slight panic rising in him. What the hell should he tell her? Sara blinked dazedly and sat up. For a moment confusion was glistening in her eyes. Then her eyes riveted on Harry, she lifted her head jerkily and glared furiously at him,

"What the heck did you do with me earlier? _Who are you?_"

As she regarded Harry worriedly, her eyes softened.

"How is he? ", she asked, reached out with her hand and stroked Harry gently over the head.

"Well, I think Harry is feeling better, now. Sara, please just listen to me, okay? But don't interrupt me." Sirius answered.

Although she was eyeing him rather mistrustful she nodded lightly. Sirius took a deep breath and in a quiet voice since he didn't want to wake Harry, he began to tell Sara everything. The words seemed to gush out of him as if they wanted to be told with might and mean. He didn't even notice the tears streaming down his face. After finishing, he looked at her. Sara was staring wordlessly at him and fiercely shook her head.

"That can't be; a world of wizards and witches? Magic?" she mumbled to herself while fear was creeping in her eyes and she looked at him as if she believed he was lunatic.

Sirius sighed, wiped his tears away, took his wand and with a murmur he charmed a little twig which was lying on the ground into a wooded rose. He held the flower to her and said,

"Every word I said is true, Sara. Believe me."

But Sara made no move to take the rose. She sat there spellbound and seemed to struggle with herself whether she should believe him or not. Then she reached out a trembling hand and laid it on Harry's forehead.

"He has still fever, Jam…Sirius. " She said, looked searchingly at him and after a slight hesitation she finally took the wooded flower out of his hand.

While Sirius was staring into her beautiful dark grey eyes he felt incredible relief settling inside of him. She believed him!

"Yes, but I think it is falling. At least he isn't glowing anymore."

"And you don't know what caused this?"

"No, I can only assume that it was Voldemort who was the reason for it."

"That is the evil wizard who killed Harry's parents, isn't he?" She shook her head a second time.

"I just can't believe it. It is so unreal, like a fairy tale. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I…I didn't know if I could trust you, Sara. Furthermore I didn't want to talk about it."

Sara nodded thoughtfully and for a moment they kept silent. Suddenly she called out,

"But if they want to kill you, then you aren't safe here!"

Sirius nodded grimly.

"You're right but I don't know whereto we should go. I don't know what to do, Sara! I don't even know if it was right to take Harry away only because I was afraid of prison. But then Dumbledore would have given Harry to Lily's half-sister… and she hates magic and…"

Tears appeared in his eyes again

"Everything was my fault, Sara. If I hadn't persuaded James; he and Lily would be still alive."

"But you did say that you didn't know it; how could it have been your fault then? ", Sara tried to calm him down.

She put her arms around him while Harry was still sleeping peacefully between them.

Sara had so many questions and yet a part of her till didn't believe Jam…Sirius: An entire magically society, of which existence she had been totally unaware; an evil wizard who had started a brutal war and who had murdered Harry's parents; Sirius who had fled with his godson from such a faraway country; people whose names she had forgotten wanted to kill Harry and Sirius and then there were those who now believed that Sirius had betrayed his best friends; a wooden rose which had originated from a twig.

Her head was spinning. It had been too much at once that had assailed her. The smooth wood which had become warm in her hand caused her to think about a possible solution. After all she couldn't let Sirius and Harry alone. Somehow she had to help them. A loud crying caused Sara and Sirius to flinch and to look down. Harry's emerald eyes were wide open and seemed to glow feverishly.

"He must be hungry. We'll have to return."

"Our pursuers could be still there. I'll go first alone. Perhaps then I can fetch our things. But we can't stay there. Most likely they'll come back. I've however not the slightest idea where we can go now." Sirius said and holding Harry in his arms he stood up.

"I've an idea. We could go to my parents. They don't live so far away. There we would be safe for the moment."

Sirius stared unbelievingly at Sara who also rose from the ground.

"We?"

"Yes, of course. What did you think? That I'll let you alone here? No, you won't get rid of me so easily again, Sirius."

Sirius smiled and looked at her warmly.

"Thank you, Sara. You don't know how much that mean to me."

For an instant they stared at each other and Sirius bent slowly down. The kiss was heavenly sweet but unfortunately much too short since Harry began to wriggle fiercely between them and to cry. Sirius straightened himself and handed the baby to Sara while saying,

"Will you wait here?"

Quietly smiling she nodded, sat down again on the warm blanket which had been charmed as she now noticed and took thoughtfully the rose in her hands.

* * *

Four days later Remus Lupin was standing in his tiny flat at the window and was staring out while stroking his owl with his right hand. He had sent her to Sirius but she hadn't found him. Presumably Sirius had put an Anti-Owl-Charm on himself and Harry or better said it was very likely. So he could exclude that someone would find his whereabouts by writing a letter to him.

But he hadn't reckoned anyway that his owl would reach Sirius. After all they had learned as Aurors how to hide from pursuers and how to protect oneself efficiently from detection. Furthermore, even if his owl had found Sirius, he didn't believe that his letter would have persuaded Sirius not to harm Harry and to bring him back as soon as possible. He wondered how Harry was doing just now.

Remus sighed. Now it had been four days since they had heard from Severus Snape that Sirius had escaped with Harry to Canada. They had found the house but everything what had been left of Harry and Sirius had been a little teddy bear. The strange thing however was that according to Severus the Death Eaters as well had found nobody in the house. Voldemort had been furious and had ordered his followers to find Sirius and Harry. But why, Remus asked himself, hadn't Sirius just handed Harry over to Voldemort? What on earth had he in mind?


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The glaring sunrays turned the ocean into a glistening mirror. Waves quietly surged against the beach and Sirius smiled as he let his eyes wander to the horizon. As so often in the last time, feelings of guilt seized him. It was in such moments, where he enjoyed life again to the full that the past came up and marred his happiness.

Sirius shook his head and tried to chase away his memories. He searched the beach and sensed the dark shadows leaving him as he watched how Sara ran behind the four year old Faith and just before she reached the water, caught the little girl and swung her through the air. His daughter, however, didn't like it at all that she had been stopped and struggled fiercely. Her tiny hands reached for the water. Harry on the other hand stood up to his knees in the water and winked at him. Sirius ran through the sand and in the next moment he held Faith in his arms.

"Here, take her." Sara said und followed Harry.

„It's all right, Faith. We'll go swimming as well." he tried to get his daughter to stop wriggling.

The water was refreshing cold. A little later they had reached the sandbank, where he finally could let go of Faith. Here she could stand on her own.

Sara and Harry tried to pull each other under water. Harry's eyes sparkled as he threw himself to the side and barely avoided Sara. Each time when Harry was laughing so merrily, Sirius knew that he had done the right thing then. Sure, from time to time, he thought whether it wouldn't have been better to try to prove his innocence, but every time he came to the same conclusion. It could have succeeded and just as well he could have been thrown into Azkaban. And what would have then happened with Harry? Apart from that he would have never met Sara. Fate was really unpredictable, he thought.

In that night he had fled with Harry and Sara from their little house into the forest, he had been desperate and had been at a loss for what to do. If Sara hadn't been with him, Sirius didn't know what he had done. So Sara had taken them to her parents. They had welcomed him and Harry and Harry had taken both by storm. Shortly afterwards Sara had moved again to her parents, even if it meant that her way was three times so long to the school, where she taught.

Soon he had considered the comfortable house which was located near a forest on a little hill, to be a home.Harry had recovered again and his happy laugh had conjured up a smile on everyone's face. Even work Sirius had found. Though he could have never imagined that he would lend out books in a library one day, it was better than nothing and now he even liked his work. Sara and he had become closer and closer and sometime as she had been playing with Harry in the snow, he had realized that he loved her. As he had asked her to be his wife, she had flung her arms around his neck. In July, shortly before Harry's second birthday they had married.

Sometimes it was still hard to believe that Sara was indeed his wife. With her he could talk about everything. Even if she didn't understand many things, he told her about the magical world, she listened. If he was sadly thinking about his past, she comforted him, distracted him and brought him Harry. One year later Faith had been born. Her birth had seemed to him like a wonder. She had been so unbelievable tiny as he had held her in the arms for the first time.

In the weeks, following Faith's birth, he had toyed again with the idea to write a letter to Remus and to explain everything to him but till now he hadn't done it. Without evidence Remus would hardly believe him and his feelings also were in his way. He had believed Remus to be the betrayer and that he had been so mistaken in his friend, he still hadn't overcame; the one he had accused wrongly, the other one he had trusted wrongly. How should he ever explain this to Remus? Especially, since he didn't understand it himself.

As Harry threw himself at him with a loud scream, Sirius was jolted out of his memories. They landed in the water and Harry tried to duck him. He pulled Harry down with him and gasping for air they finally came again to the surface.

"It's a pity that we don't have our brooms with us" Harry said sadly and Sirius, grinning, ran a hand over the wet hair of his godson.

Harry's fourth birthday had hardly been over, as he had begun to teach Harry to fly on a broom. Sara hadn't been much excited, but Harry all the more. It was, after all, out of the question that Harry didn't learn from an early age, how to play Quidditch. A while later he had also begun to teach Harry magic. When he had noticed months later that Harry could perform magic without a wand, he had been literally speechless. But the more spells Harry knew, the better. It was of the greatest importance that Harry was capable to defend himself.

Though no one had tracked down them the previous years Sirius fought to become far too careless.

The danger was not nearly over, after all. In Great Britain and in many countries of Europe was war and Sirius suspected that the Order and Voldemort were still searching after Harry. Whether he was right with his assumption or not, it couldn't harm Harry if he learned to defend himself.

To buy suitable books with which Harry could learn and weren't so complicated as those he had taken with him then, as well as Harry's broom, he had visited the magical community a few times in the last years. Of course it had been dangerous but Sirius thought that it had been well worth it. Besides he had been always disguised.

While Sirius was playing with Harry in the water, Sara went with Faith back to their blankets. Faith had already begun to freeze and Sara didn't want her daughter to catch a cold.

She dried the little one, put a blue floral sunhat on her head and seated her an instant later in the sun. Sara lay down on her stomach and watched her daughter who played in the sand and was happily babbling to herself. Faith had Sirius' blue eyes and resembled her father more than her, only the dark brown hair she had had inherited from her, which curled at the ends. Sara rested her head on her arms and gazed at the ocean, where she could see Sirius and Harry only as little dots. She smiled as she remembered how much her life had changed since Sirius and Harry had appeared. In the meantime she had got used to Sirius' and Harry's magical powers. After they had escaped from Sirius' house and had spent the night in the forest, it had been rather hard to believe Sirius' stories in the beginning.

He really should be grateful that I've done it and haven't called the police, she thought and softly laughed. Looking at Faith, she wondered whether her daughter was also a witch. Until now she hadn't shown any indication for that and if she had her way it could remain so. Somehow everything what had any relation to magic was still rather suspect to her, which wasn't exactly surprising if you considered that she had only learned about it as she had met Sirius. Even to Sirius's owl, who brought the newspaper in the mornings, she had had to get used to.

Her parents also knew. It had been inevitable that they would find out about Sirius' strange magical world one day. In the beginning they had still tried to hide it. But when Harry had let his toys to fly through the air, Sara had thought it better to tell her parents the truth. Sara giggled. The expression of her parents as Sirius had performed some of his magic had been funny, though she probably hadn't looked much different. At least her parents hadn't been in a forest in the deepest winter and on top of that on the run, let alone no-one had cursed them as they had discovered it, in contrast to her.

Sara cast a glance at her daughter, who merrily piled up sand to a hill, stood up and sat in the deckchair. Her back she had tanned long enough. Dripping wet, Harry appeared little later and grabbed the towel. Sirius had remained in the water. That he didn't get cold, Sara wondered. Sara stretched out and let her gaze wander over the ocean which lay like a peaceful, blue mirror in front of her. She could have regarded it forever.

Drowsily she watched Sirius, who swam towards the beach, waded out of the water and collided with someone. As she saw how Sirius knocked down the stranger, she was wide-awake in an instant. She hadn't yet risen entirely from her deckchair, as Sirius had already reached them.

"Quick! He recognized me. Take the children and run to the car."

Sirius stuffed their things into the bag. She grasped Faith's and Harry's hands. It was difficult to hurry through the hot sand. As they had run half of the way, Sirius caught up with them. Neither the sunshade nor the deckchairs, he had with him. They squeezed themselves into the car and Sirius drove off with screeching wheels.

"Why are we leaving already?" Harry asked while Faith wailed that she hadn't finished to build her sandcastle.

Sara cast a glance at Sirius, who clutched the steering wheel with stiff fingers and was just exceeding the maximum speed many times over. Thus it was left to her, to supply the children with a plausible explanation for their hasty departure. The problem was only that nothing occurred to her. It was luck that the children obviously hadn't noticed how Sirius had knocked the other wizard, as she suspected, to the ground.

"Well, we've left so soon because…"

Looking out of the window, she spotted the dark clouds which moved in front of the sun.

"…because there will be very likely a thunder storm and if it begins, we do want to be home, don't we? There we can make ourselves really comfortable." Sara said.

"A thunder storm! Great!" Harry exclaimed and looked out of the window.

Involuntarily Sara had to smile. While Harry was fascinated of thunder storms and could stand for hours at the window and watch the bolts of lightning, Faith feared thunder storms. In the mirror she saw how Faith reached for Harry's hand.

"Sirius, look out!" she screamed as he ignored a red traffic light.

As they finally reached their house, Sara climbed out of the car with wobbly knees and sent a prayer heavenward. With the way Sirius had been driving, it was a near miracle that no accident had happened.

Her parents were surprised that they had come home so earlier and studied them strangely while Sara noticed that they were still wearing their swimming suits. To her relief her parents didn't say anything further as Harry said that they had run away from a thunder storm.

Her parents had barely gone to the garden with the children as Sara looked to Sirius,

"He went to school with me. God knows what he was doing here. Luckily he needed a moment longer to realize who I am." Sirius said and stepped to the window.

"That was close." Sara replied, who slowly recovered from the fright, which had put such a sudden end to their trip.

While going to the kitchen to make tea, Sirius stood at the window. Cheerful laughter rang to him. His eyes rested on Faith who laughing spun around in circles, on Harry who was playing ball with Sara's father.

Nearly six years everything had gone well, no one had found them. For that he should be more than grateful. Even if he had never wanted to believe it he had known that it couldn't go on like this forever. Sirius clenched his fists.

His decision was made. He had to see to it that Sara, the children and his parents-in-law were safe and that nothing happened to them. Even if it was dangerous and that it would be without any doubt. It was the only possibility and to save his family he would do whatever was necessary.

As Sara heard what he intended, she fiercely shook her head.

"No. That's absolutely out of question! You won't leave us here alone!"

"Sara. It won't take long and they'll search the whole area. They would find us sometime, knowing that I'm still here. But if they see me somewhere else, far away from here, they'll believe we've left Canada. No-one will suspect that it isn't so. Sara, that's the only possibility. I do not want our children to be constantly on the run. Here they're safe and you as well. Do not make it harder than it is already."

"So you will search for those who want to kill you? What if something happens to you?" Her voice shook.

"They would see me only from afar, Sara. The next moment I would have disappeared. There is no danger at all."

He lied, she knew it. It was dangerous and he knew it just like her.

Sara swallowed. Tears threatened to form in her eyes, out of sheer helplessness. As she felt his arms around her, she clung to Sirius. Breaking away from him again, she looked out in the garden. The thought that nothing must happen to Faith and Harry nipped her objections in the bud.

Sirius put an arm around her, pressed her close for a fleeting moment and then he was gone. Without Sirius' warmth, she became cold. She shuddered and folded her arms. Fear seized her. It didn't take long and Sirius returned. He had dressed, his hair was black and though she knew that it had been his natural colour, he seemed strange to her.

In his right hand he held his wand. She wanted to implore him not to go and couldn't bring herself to do it.

"Take care of yourself." She instead whispered.

He nodded and drew her into his arms. They clung to each other as they did not want to let go ever again.

"I'll come back, Sara. I'll come back." he said.

He wanted to go to the garden but then changed his mind. She heard the door slamming shut. Away, she thought, Sirius was gone and she had no other choice but to wait. Slowly she sank into the armchair. She would need another explanation for today. This time, however, she really hadn't the slightest clue what to tell the children or her parents, who, though knowing that Sirius was a wizard, didn't have any idea that he was on the run and that he and Harry were looked for.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

As the sound of the thunder ebbed away, Harry heard soft footsteps. The door opened and he threw the blanket aside. Without saying a word, he waited for Faith to climb into his bed. Then he wrapped her and himself tightly in the blanket. He knew how much his little sister was afraid of thunder storms. Everyone had tried already to explain to her that she was safe in the house, but nothing helped. She wouldn't believe it, whatever you would say. He had gained this experience also. Sirius had been the only one who had succeeded in causing Faith to laugh during a storm. But Sirius was gone; he sadly thought and looked down at his sister who clung to him as a bolt of lightning illuminated the dark room.

"Mama is crying," she suddenly said and lifted her little shadowy face to him.

Involuntarily Harry froze. Again the feelings of guilt rose in him, seemed to crush him mercilessly.

"Sirius will return soon," he whispered and hugged her close.

Faith didn't say anything but he felt how she trembled. He wanted to comfort her but he couldn't find any words. And what could he say what hadn't been said so many times already since that one dreadful day last summer which had changed everything?

He knew that Sirius and Sara weren't his parents. As long as he could remember, Sirius had told him of his parents, had told him how they had fought against Voldemort. He knew his story, even if Sirius had not been able to explain how he had managed to defeat the Dark Lord. As Sirius had disappeared so suddenly then and Sara had told them Sirius had to deceive their enemies, he had believed it to be a game. He remembered it well.

But as Sirius had been away longer and longer and had more and more seldom come back, he had begun to think. When he had caught Sara crying and had seen once how she had taken care of one of Sirius' injuries, he had been confused. The first shadow of a doubt had gnawed at him, but only when Sirius and Sara had fiercely quarrelled and Faith and he had stood beside them, he had finally realized that it was no game, had never been one. And in that night as Sirius and Sara had brought them both back to their rooms, it had been him who had sought comfort from his little sister as she had come to him, like almost every night since Sirius had gone away for the first time. Faith was still so little, did understand it even less than him why everything had changed so suddenly. And all that only because of him, Harry angrily thought.

If it weren't for him, Sirius, Sara and Faith could have been happy. Harry knew that Sirius was trying to protect him despite everything what Sirius and Sara had said to him. It was not fair he thought and the sudden cold fury and hate he felt for Voldemort scared him deeply.

Loud thunder caused Faith to flinch. Harry forced himself to shake off his dark thoughts and raised one hand.

"Don't be afraid, Faith. Nothing can happen to you." he said and was relieved when she looked up to the soft glimmering ball of light he had conjured up.

He saw how she smiled. She had been always fascinated with magic. She reached out with her tiny hands and as she touched the ball of light it floated higher and then came back to her again. She laughed cheerfully while Harry stared at her and the ball. Never before had she played with those balls, he created to distract her or to make her happy, in such a way.

As the realisation hit him what that must mean, he felt as joyous as he had not in months.

"Faith." he called softly.

"Try to make your own light. Imagine another ball of light." he said, as he grasped his ball of light and closed his hand around the warm magic.

And suddenly there was another light beside his hand; a bright blue light.

Harry turned around and hugged his sister.

"Faith, you have the gift of magic, too. You are a witch. Do you know what that means?" he excitedly whispered.

"Am I? Really?"

In the next moment Faith jumped out of the bed.

"I've to tell mama!" she exclaimed and raced through the door. To the thunder storm which was still raging outside, she didn't pay any attention. Apparently she had forgotten the storm.

Harry laughed and followed her.

* * *

Sara rested on her elbows and gazed smiling at the children. Both their faces looked so peacefully. At last they had fallen asleep. Faith and Harry had been so excited that Sara had thought they would stay awake the whole night.

Gently she stroked Faith's brown curls, wondered whether she should be happy that her daughter had inherited Sirius' magical powers. Faith and Harry were it in any case and thinking of Faith's shining eyes, she knew that she would be delighted for Faith, even if she had the sudden strange feeling of being left out. Now Sirius, Harry and Faith shared a gift she didn't possess, nor understood. She had never minded when Sirius had taught Harry magic but the thought that Faith would also be part of it soon, made her somehow sad. Then Sara, however, shook her head fiercely, and called herself a fool. There was no reason to feel excluded. And Sirius surely would be overjoyed when hearing the news. At least something that would cheer him up a bit.

Sara reached out and switched off the little bedside lamp. Snuggling into her pillows, she involuntarily whished for Sirius to be here, for him holding her in his arms.

Sadly she turned her eyes to the window. The storm had let up but still it was dark. Before morning would dawn and Shadow, Sirius' owl, would bring the newspaper, still several hours would pass. As much as Sara wished for the newspaper to come each night as much she dreaded it. But the magical newspaper was her only source to discover something. Sirius had said it would be too dangerous to write letters. They could be intercepted. If he was away, he would not send her a message, not even one line which would bring her comfort, reassurance.

How she missed him, how she feared for him.

The times he returned were much too brief and often he was injured, hit from some curses he hadn't succeeded in avoiding quick enough and of whose effects she hadn't any idea. Often she didn't even know what to do. She did for him whatever she could but the feeling that it was much too little, was constantly present. In those moments she always thought how much better it had been for him if he had married a witch and not her. Before that one fateful encounter on the beach had forced Sirius to flee, she had never had such thoughts but ever since she couldn't help herself as to ponder about that.

The fear and anxiety had pressed Sirius hard, too. He had become more and more taciturn and had cut himself off. The house he had secured with some security spells and when he returned home now, he busied himself with the house. Sometime she hadn't been able to put up with it any longer, hadn't been capable to silence her doubts and thoughts anymore. And so she had screamed at him that she couldn't bear it anymore. It had been their first fierce quarrel.

They hurled the most terrible insults at each other and tried their best to hurt each other. Only when the children had stood with white faces in the door they had come to their senses again. How they had managed to bring the children to bed she didn't know to this day. In that night Sirius and she had silently sat in the bed. Sometime Sirius had asked whether she regretted to have married him. His question had shocked her. Wordlessly she had stared at him and had shaken her head. Then she had thrown herself into his arms, as she didn't want to let go of him ever again.

Ever since they were closer than they had been ever before and he began to tell her what happened during his absence. It was nearly funny but the fact that only Sirius knew where Harry was, protected him. No one was eager to kill him, but the thought that Voldemort's followers and the Order of the Phoenix wanted to gain control of Sirius at all cost wasn't exactly consoling.

But the children were the ones who suffered most from the situation. Both had become much quieter, both had lost much of their former cheerfulness.

Sara looked down at the shadowy figures of the children and pulled the blanket up. Even if Sirius was home, it felt as he wouldn't be really there, like his thoughts were occupied with the question when he had to leave again.

Sighing, Sara stared at the dark ceiling. _Where are you Sirius?_ she whispered. _When will you return?_

* * *

Gazing around, Sirius frowned. Where on earth was he? He had not the faintest idea and still he was followed. Coming to a crossroads, he hesitated. It took him too long to decide. Someone called his name,

"Black!"

Sirius froze. Slowly he turned around. This voice he knew, this voice he would recognize everywhere. The footsteps became louder and then Remus stood in front of him. For a moment time seemed to stand still as they stared at each other. Remus' eyes looked grim, determined. Shocked Sirius noticed the fine lines which had embedded themselves in Remus' face.

"Where's Harry? Where are you holding him?"

The harsh voice jolted Sirius out of his thoughts. Remus' wand was pointing directly at him. Before he realized what happened, a blazing red light was shooting towards him. He jumped to the side, managed it to avoid the curse just in time.

"Remus! I beg you, let me explain! Listen to me! Please!" he screamed and dodged another curse.

_"Listen to you?_ Why should I listen to a traitor? How could you do that? How could you betray them? But you will pay! You will pay for that!"

Sirius stumbled back, when seeing Remus' face, darkened with hate. As much as he loathed fighting against his friend, he knew that he hadn't another choice. If ever a time should come when Remus would listen to him, it certainly wasn't now. He needed his strength, couldn't hope that he would manage to persuade Remus to listen to him. Sirius knew that soon others would arrive. Remus hadn't been alone. He had to defeat Remus as quickly as possible.

Ignoring the pain he felt for being forced to fight against Remus, Sirius concentrated on fighting. How he regretted it that he hadn't taken Remus into his confidence then! Even if he hadn't known if Remus would have believed him, he should have tried at least. Suppressing his rising thoughts, Sirius brutally attacked. Finally he broke through Remus' defences and Remus sank to the ground. Kneeling next to his unconscious friend, Sirius reached out with his hand and ran it lightly over Remus' head. To leave Remus here tore his heart apart, but he had to. Loud footsteps were already approaching. He jumped up and raced around the corner of one of the houses. He forced himself to concentrate but his sudden, unexpected meeting with Remus had hit him hard.

That they would face each other in battle one day, and, that they would fight against each other, he would have never imagined. Again he saw Remus' face, contorted with hate, in front of him.

And he couldn't even reproach Remus. Sirius closed his eyes, clenched his fists, and tried to sort out his thoughts, but it was no use. He could not visualize his hotel room. He was not able to apparate. The loud shouts and calls which rang to him were not helpful in the slightest. Again he heard people running in his direction. Quickly he reached into his rucksack and fetched out James' cloak. As the cold fabric enveloped him and made him invisible, he silently slid to the ground and pressed himself hard against the wall.

While watching the wizards racing past him, he buried his head in his hands. What had he only done? How could he have hurt Remus? What had become of him? In the previous months he had developed such a ruthlessness he would have never believed he possessed. The only thing which now mattered to him was his family; their safety was more important than anything else. Sirius closed his eyes and strained his ears. It took long for every noise to stop. When he finally stood up, he pulled the cloak tighter around him and searched for a little warmth but he found none. He felt only coldness, a terrible coldness which engulfed him.

* * *

The rain outside had become heavier, but Remus didn't pay any attention to it as he stood beside the window and absentmindedly watched the raindrops hitting the window pane.How could he have only let himself be defeated by Sirius? How could he have let Sirius escape, after finally standing opposite of him, after years of agonizing search?

Since Sirius' and Harry's trace had been lost in Canada, all attempts of the Order of the Phoenix to find the whereabouts of Sirius and Harry, had failed. To the astonishment of all, Voldemort's followers also were looking for the two, something what no-one could understand. A few in the Order had thought Black wanted to use Harry for his own purposes but whatever the reason was, Sirius didn't hand Harry over and Remus worked together day and night with those, who had been assigned the task to find a trace; his thoughts only ruled by his determination to find Harry.

How obsessed and lonely he had become, he didn't notice. Only when he had met Claire, he had realized that he couldn't go on like that, unless he wanted to break down and lose his mind one day. As Remus' thoughts wandered to Claire, a smile slid across his face. Claire also belonged to the Aurors who were in charge of finding Sirius Black. He had liked her from the beginning. Her strength and her optimism that they would find Harry, had contributed much to give him courage and confidence. And yet her eyes also occasionally shone with a deep sadness.

As he had found out sometime that she had lost her husband and her child in the war, he had been shocked and had realized how much his own pain had prevented him from seeing the pain of others. He hadn't succeeded in hiding his dismay and confusion from Claire but she had made it easy for him. Neither had she accepted his apology, nor had she allowed him to reproach himself. She had merely taken his hand and had told him then that Sirius Black had been seen.

Remus sighed and pressed his face against the cold glass. That had been one year ago and ever since they had hunted Sirius straight through all continents. It seemed almost as if he was playing with them. And over and over again weeks passed, where he vanished and suddenly he appeared again and did everything to be seen. But why he did that remained a mystery.

A soft knocking startled Remus out of his thoughts. He turned around and looked at Claire. She went to him and shook her head.

"We didn't find him. He escaped us again." she said

Remus nodded sadly, but didn't reply anything. He had suspected it.

Claire regarded him searchingly.

"How are you?"

It was already on the tip of his tongue to say that he was fine but then he swallowed the words. Claire would not believe him and he lacked the strength to lie.

"I don't know, Claire." he said instead.

"Confused. It was a shock to see him again for the first time in so many years. And then I don't understand it, Claire! Why didn't he kill me?"

Before Claire could say anything, he continued,

"He had all the time he would have needed. But he didn't. And the curses he used against me, they all were not deadly. Somehow, somehow I can't help as to think that he did take any precaution not to hurt me. But that doesn't make any sense!"

"No, it doesn't." Claire said.

"But it isn't our task to understand him. Our job is to find him, him and Harry Potter."

Remus grimaced slightly.

"No, it isn't our job. But I feel, if we did, it would make our task much easier."

* * *

As he had reached the garden gate, Sirius began to run despite his exhaustion. Finally he was home! Far too long had he been gone. He halted, listened to the cheerful laughter of Harry and Faith which rang to him from the trees. With fast steps he went in direction of the little tree house he had built for the children last year.

"Harry! Faith!" he called.

One moment later a dark curly head looked down; the next Faith had climbed down the ladder and with a scream had thrown herself into his arms.

"Dad!"

Since Faith refused to let go of him, Sirius managed only to put an arm around Harry. Laughing Sirius hugged the children close to him. How he had missed those two! And apparently they had missed him as well. Faith didn't leave his side anymore and even as he wanted to embrace Sara, Faith clung to him, so that he could give Sara only a brief kiss.

As soon as the first excitement of his arrival had died down, he sat with his family in the garden and let them tell him everything that had happened during his absence. As Faith and Harry described how they had found out that Faith was a witch to the last detail, Sirius forgot his tiredness and listened intently. The children had much to tell and Sirius, who had leaned against the thick trunk of an old oak, caught himself that he was listening more to the sound of their voices than to the words. How tall the children had got. How much he missed, he thought painfully.

"Now I'll get a wand, too, won't I?" Faith asked suddenly.

Sirius straightened and looked into Faith's shining eyes. He still could hardly believe that his daughter was a witch. Only when he had heard the news, he had realized how much he had wished for it.

"Of course, my little one." he answered and wondered where he had put Lily's old wand. Harry would surely have no objections against Faith using the wand of his mother.

Faith nodded satisfied and continued to chatter. Sara cast a glance at him and smiled. Sirius smiled back. He knew that it would still take a while until he would be alone with Sara. But he didn't mind much. The children, after all, had difficulties enough to cope with his long absence. As he noticed a little while later that it was mainly Faith who was talking, Sirius bewildered riveted his eyes on Harry. When had Harry become so quiet? Harry, however, quickly averted his gaze and Sirius frowned. Something seemed to bother him. Well, he surely would find it out, Sirius thought and slightly flinched as Faith snuggled up to him. Still he hurt everywhere from his fall two days ago. Only barely had he managed to escape his pursuers and this time it had been the followers of Voldemort who had hunted him.

Sirius shuddered and involuntarily the memory of the fight three weeks ago rose in him. Again he saw Remus standing in front of him and he sighed, looked at Sara and the children. One year, one year everything went well, but how long would it last? Before he could suppress the uninvited thought, it was present.

Sirius sighed silently, shook fiercely his head. No, he wouldn't think about that now. He would not waste the precious time he could spend with his family by dwelling on dark thoughts.

He jumped up.

"Come, Harry, let us fly a few rounds."

Smiling Harry rose.

"So do I. I want to fly, too."

Sirius laughed, took his daughter into his arms and swung her through the air.

"Yes, you shall fly as well, Faith!" he exclaimed and for the time being he forgot all his worries and was just happy.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Pressing himself close into the recess, his breath sounded so loud in his ears that Sirius had the feeling his followers would be able to hear him effortlessly. He closed his eyes. His only chance to escape his pursuers more or less unscathed was an Apparation, as he knew only too well. 'Concentrate!' a voice in his head barked at him. 'Concentrate!' Sirius would have loved to just scream back that he knew it. Steps were approaching.

Sirius clutched his wand as tightly as if he wanted to break it, forced himself to think of Sara, Faith and Harry, of his family who full of fear waited for his return. In the next moment he flew through the air and fell hard to the ground a little later. He curled up, remained lying motionless and put his arms around his hurting knees. The relief that he had managed to get back into his hotel room, caused him to feel dizzy. Slowly he raised one hand, touched his blood-soaked sleeve. He was injured and yet he couldn't bring himself to feel anything.

It left him literally cold. While staring at the ceiling, he remembered that one summer day four years ago. How often he had thought about it whether there hadn't been a possibility to prevent the catastrophe, something which he could have done that wouldn't have turned him into a fugitive. He had underestimated them; that he had realized long ago. He had thought that they would have enough to do with the war. But he had been severely mistaken. Neither the Order nor Voldemort spared any efforts to hunt him, rather they chased him mercilessly.

In the beginning it had been still easy to shake off his followers. Now it wasn't anymore. He was at the end of his tether; he hadn't been home for weeks, out of fear to somehow betray the whereabouts of his family. How confident he once had been. Now he could only laugh about that. Who was responsible for that Sirius didn't know, but even the police of the Muggle hunted him. Without a disguise he couldn't let himself be seen anywhere, had to go to hotels, whose owners didn't insist upon seeing his identity card.

Everyone who came towards him had become an enemy. He could trust no-one anymore.

How he longed for Sara and the children. To be separated from them pained him more than he would ever have imagined. The fear of not managing to escape his followers one day, made him insane. And yet he had to succeed, he knew. Pushing himself onto his knees, he slowly rose. Sighing he went to one of the armchairs and sank into it, put his arms on the table and buried his head into them.

His thoughts began to wander and once again he asked himself if there wasn't a possibility to change the situation. In the last months, whenever he had felt exhausted and desperate, he had often thought whether there wasn't a way out. He didn't know how long he would still be able to bear the necessity of having to escape and above all how long he would succeed in escaping his pursuers. The thought of going to Dumbledore or Remus and asking for help, suggested itself to him more and more often. He remembered that day where he had stood opposite of Remus so suddenly.

And again he saw the hate in Remus' face; how his expression had hurt him, startled him. But it shouldn't surprise him. It had been him, after all, who hadn't trusted Remus nearly ten years ago. In the last years he had seen Remus a few times, but never again he had faced him.

Sirius stood up and went slowly into the bathroom. While taking care of his wound, he tried to decide. Still he struggled against the knowledge that it couldn't go on like this, but should he indeed risk telling Dumbledore and Remus the truth? But what would happen then? What, if they didn't believe him? If they took Harry with them? What would happen then with Sara and Faith?

In the same moment he shook his head. Perhaps they would not believe him, but Harry they would surely question as well and him they had to believe. Harry was, after all, not a little child anymore. Perhaps everything would yet change for the better.

Involuntarily Sirius thought back to that day he had discovered Faith to be a witch, remembered the conversation he had had with Harry. As he had realized that Harry didn't believe anymore that it was a game and knew very well that Sirius put himself into danger every time he tried to set Voldemort's followers and the Order of the Phoenix on the wrong track and that Harry blamed himself for the situation, Sirius had been speechless. Even if he had done everything in his power to persuade Harry that it wasn't his fault, Sirius couldn't have helped to feel that he hadn't been exactly successful.

And sometime Faith had understood it as well that it was far away of being a game.

Sirius bandaged his wound and returned to his armchair. He reached for the bottle mineral water and poured himself a glass. As much as he missed the children, to bear how Faith implored him with tears in her big blue eyes to not go away again had been beyond endurance.

Abruptly he sat up and with a fierce sweep of his arm, he brushed against the little vial which had been standing near the bottle and before he could have caught it, the vial rolled across the table, fell to the floor and broke to pieces. Sirius made no move to pick up the shards. He stared at the clear liquid which soaked the carpet. Now even his last remaining rest of Veritaserum was lost. As it had become more and more difficult to escape his followers he had begun to drink tiny amounts of the powerful potion, had thus tried to become immune against the elixir.

He would have done everything to prevent that he revealed the whereabouts of his family should he ever be caught; even if he didn't know whether it had been of use and if he now was indeed capable of resisting the power of the potion. He had never tried it out. He had never wanted to scare Sara. Apart from that he never had exactly wanted to know whether he really would be able to lie, when questioned under Veritaserum.

Blinking Sirius stared at the wet carpet. No, it couldn't go on like this anymore. Harry would soon have his eleventh birthday. Harry should be able to go to Hogwarts, to spend his first year in the magical school. And that wouldn't be possible if the truth didn't come to light.

But would Harry be safe in Hogwarts? Wasn't he much safer now, far away in Canada?

Helpless fury crushed him. What should he do? Should he let everything as it was now? Should he try to contact Dumbledore and Remus and hope for the best? How should he know what the best would be for Harry, for the children? For Sara?

Suddenly Sirius jumped up. He couldn't breathe anymore. The feeling to suffocate became stronger and stronger. He left the hotel room and ran upstairs. As he stood in front of the door, he raised his face to the cloudy sky and took a deep breath, tried to relax. Somehow he would find a way, somehow, he thought.

So far he also had managed it. So far he had kept his promise. He had protected Harry, just like Sara and Faith.

He would keep doing it, he thought and felt how new confidence seized him. He turned around and just wanted to return to the hotel, as he heard a soft buzzing noise. Instinctively he threw himself to the ground, heard how the curse flew past him. They had found him!

Why, why only had he had to leave his room! The next moment he jumped up, clutched his wand. His eyes darted around. As the curses raced towards him and he defended himself, he thought of nothing anymore. He felt panic gripping him. Desperately he tried to calm himself. But he had been so tired already, so exhausted. He had to…Then something hit him with incredible force. 'Forgive me', he whispered with the last clear thought, before darkness surrounded him. The faces of Sara, Faith and Harry danced in front of his eyes but they blurred, became more and more indistinctly.

* * *

Frustrated Harry clapped the book shut. There just wasn't any use. Without Sirius he didn't get on. No matter how much he tried, he needed someone to help him. Alone he would never learn to master the spell, unless he would spend months with it, for which he hadn't any intention. Looking to the window, Harry sighed and propped his chin on his hands. The tasks Sirius had given him were done long ago, but since he made progress much slower alone, he had currently the feeling that he hadn't learned anything new in weeks.

Casting the book a last glance, Harry stood up and went to the open window. Sadly he gazed in direction of the garden gate. When would Sirius finally return? It was, actually, long overdue that he returned to them. It was already nearly five months ago that he had been home the last time. And even if Sirius had had a rather gloomy mood then – at least the first days – it had been nevertheless great to be a family again, to be complete again. Never before had Sirius stayed away for so long and slowly Harry couldn't suppress his worry anymore. Besides, in two weeks was his eleventh birthday.

He had hoped so much that Sirius would come home till then, but now he had to cope with Sirius perhaps not coming home this time also. Just as last year, Harry thought bitterly. In the next instant he shook his head, felt ashamed. How could he only think such a thing? It wasn't Sirius' fault. It was his; his alone. Sirius tried to protect them, to protect him.

"Harry!"

The bright voice jolted him out of his thoughts. He leaned out of the window and winked to his sister, who seemed even smaller, standing next to the tall trees.

"Will you also come to the garden? It's so nice outside!" Faith called and Harry nodded, glad about the distraction.

„Yes, I'm coming!"

He ran downstairs and set off to the kitchen to fetch himself and Faith something cold to drink. He reached the kitchen and stopped dead in his tracks. To the owl, who was sitting dishevelled on the armrest of one of the chairs, he didn't pay any attention. Harry stared at Sara's motionless figure, at her hands which clutched the newspaper as they did not want to ever let go.

"It's Sirius, isn't it?" he asked in a voice that seemed to come from far away.

Sara flinched, spun around. With white face she looked at him.

„Don't lie to me. Please." he desperately said and stepped closer.

Silently Sara gazed at him, sank into a chair. Wordlessly she handed him the newspaper over. Harry had difficulties to hold it. His hands trembled. It took a moment before the lines stopped to blur and he could see them clearly in front of him.

He didn't understand everything he read, only one thing he became aware of with sharp intensity. Sirius had been caught by the Order of the Phoenix.

When someone embraced him, he started. He hadn't heard Sara approaching.

"What shall we do now?" he whispered and felt how Sara hugged him even closer. Sara didn't answer and he looked up.

"Sara?"

But still Sara didn't say a word. She turned around, gazed to the door. Harry had also heard the steps.

"Harry, what's taking you so long?"

Sara put a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Bring Faith to the garden and let me alone a moment, will you?"

Harry hesitated.

"Sara…"

"Harry, please, do what I tell you."

Finally Harry nodded, stepped to Faith, who stared at them with large eyes and took her hand.

"Come, Faith."

"What happened?" she asked as they went along the corridor and Harry shook his head.

Of course, he should have expected that Faith would realize very quickly that something wasn't right. But what should he say? He felt so helpless, saw the newspaper in front of him and swallowed. Should he tell Faith the truth? He didn't know whether Sara would approve of that but his thoughts seemed unable to come up with anything. No lie Faith would believe wanted to occur to him. He closed his eyes as the bright sunlight blinded him, opened them again and went with Faith to the little tree house Sirius had once built for them.

Harry sat down on the blanket and took Faith into his arms. He felt how he trembled. He was icy cold, though it was a hot day.

"Harry?"

Faith's tentative voice reminded him that he had to say something. Against his will he sensed tears forming in his eyes. Hurriedly he wiped them off.

"Faith…" he began and was unable to utter another word. But he had to. He had to tell his little sister the truth.

* * *

As the steps of the children faded away, Sara sank back into the chair. She knew that it hadn't been fair towards Harry to send him away with Faith. He was merely ten years old.

To burden him with comforting Faith who had surely noticed that something had happened, was more than unfair.

She knew that it was her who should be there for the children now. For Harry all the same as for Faith. But in the moment she couldn't bring herself to think about Harry, about Faith who would look up to her with Sirius' blue eyes.

Again Sara reached for the newspaper, wished that against her better judgement she would read something else. Even if there was a hard to define chaos of feelings raging in her, one thing she was more than certain of as she stared at the newspaper.

Sirius had drummed it into her head often enough. Should he be caught, she should take the children and should together with her parents disappear, and that as soon as possible. Sirius had said he would very likely not be able to prevent revealing their whereabouts to whoever would catch him. There were methods he had told her. A shudder ran down Sara's spine. Sirius had never told her how those methods looked liked, but that was currently the last thing she wanted to think about. If she did that, if she only thought a minute how Sirius was faring now, she would break down.

Slowly she breathed out, tried to calm herself, but she didn't succeed. _What should she do?_

She knew that she had to act, that she had to get the children out of the house. Who knows how much time was left before the wizards would be here. Even if everything inside her had struggled against it, Sirius had forced her to prepare herself for such a case. On a separate bank account there was enough money saved that they could live on for a while.

The children, Sara thought suddenly. And it was that thought which caused her to jump up. Finally she managed to shake off the paralyzing rigidity. But while going to her parents and speaking with them, hurriedly trying to make them understand that they had to flee and quickly packing a few things and then fetching the children, wiping away their tears and whispering that everything would turn out well again – somehow – her thoughts were with Sirius. Everything she did, she was not really aware of. She acted because she had to and yet had continuously the feeling to be in a nightmare.

In the evening, as they were kilometres away from their home, she was sitting on a bed in a dark, little hotel room and wondered how she had managed to bring the children, her parents and herself here. It was past midnight already. The children were sleeping. It had taken them long and never Sara had been more grateful for her parents than in that night. It had been her mother who had soothed and distracted the children, and her father who had rented the rooms.

Sara took a deep breath and fought against the hopeless desperation which mercilessly held her since she had opened the newspaper in the morning.

Sirius was captured. Sobbing she put her arms around her knees. What should she do? What _could _she do? How should she help Sirius? It was hopeless; one Muggle and two children who had been never before in the magical world. She was helpless, while Sirius was kept prisoner somewhere in a little cell. She didn't know whether she should be relieved that it had been the Order of the Phoenix that had found Sirius.

What would they do with him, after having discovered all information from him? Would the truth be revealed? But what if they wouldn't believe him? Ten years ago Sirius had, after all, also escaped out of fear that they could throw him into prison. With all her might she suppressed the thought that they could perhaps kill him as soon as he had told them where Harry was. But no, that they wouldn't do, would they? 'Sirius', she whispered his name. The desperation choked her. There had to be something!

Something they could do. She refused to believe that everything was lost. She could not wait for his return if she didn't know whether he would return ever again. She had to know…Her thoughts began to race. Suddenly a name flashed through her mind.

_Remus Lupin._ Sara held her breath. She had never questioned Sirius' decision to escape then, but now she couldn't help believing that it would have been perhaps better trying to persuade his friends that he hadn't betrayed the Potters. Innocent they would not have brought Sirius to prison, would they? But exactly that they would have done. Now they had done it as well. In the newspaper had been written that Sirius had been caught already two days ago and if Sirius had tried to tell the Order of the Phoenix the truth and they had believed him, he would have notified her long ago. Never would he have allowed her to worry unnecessarily.

Sara's thoughts wandered back to Remus. Would he be able to help her? She didn't know and yet, perhaps he would be able to do something. He knew the magical world after all and he had been Sirius' friend once. He would at least hear how Sirius fared, would know where they had brought Sirius. He would have the needed contacts.

Sara jumped up and grabbed a sheet of paper and a pen. Thoughtfully she nibbled at the pen.

Hesitantly she began to write. A little later her hand flew over the paper. As she had finished, she folded the paper and sighed. She didn't know his address, but Sirius's owl would surely find Remus, wouldn't she? Had Sirius mentioned once where Remus lived? There was no use. If Sirius had done that, she couldn't remember it anymore.

She stood up, stroked over Shadow's soft feathers and tied the letter to her leg. Shortly afterwards Sara gazed after the owl who flew into the darkness of the night. Even if she didn't know Remus Lupin, had never seen him, nor had ever met him, he was her last hope.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Even when he smiled, he looked sad, Harry thought when regarding Remus Lupin's photo. Involuntarily Harry remembered the stories Sirius had told him, the adventures which he had had with his friends in Hogwarts. Harry knew that Sirius still considered Remus as a friend.

As Sara had told him of the letter she had written to Remus he had been speechless, had not known what to think in the first moment. But slowly he had begun to hope again. His fear had lessened. Perhaps Remus would really be able to help Sirius.

Cautiously Harry put the photo album back on the table, cast a glance at Faith who peacefully slept the sleep of the exhausted and stood up. He went to the door and halted, gazed at the glimmer of light that was visible under the door. It wasn't very late yet. Sara would be still awake, but the conversation with Sara would be anything but easy. Though she hadn't said it directly earlier, it was clear, however, that she hadn't the intention to take him and Faith along to Great-Britain at all, and this was something that Harry couldn't allow.

Harry took a deep breath, knocked shortly and entered.

"We will come with you." he said.

Sara, who had stood next to the window, looked astonished at him. Then she shook her head.

„No, that you certainly won't. It's too dangerous, Harry."

Harry looked straight at Sara.

"You will let us come with you. Sirius had taught me much. I can defend myself. And you are not a witch. You will…We can help." Harry said and tried to shake of his feeling of unease. Never before had he spoken in such tone to Sara and it hurt him to see the pain in her eyes. But it had to be. He couldn't take any consideration of her feelings now. He stepped to her, gave her no chance to reply anything.

"If Remus doesn't believe you, he won't help Sirius. And what do you want to do then? He will probably say that Sirius has cursed you. But if I speak with him, he'll have to believe me that Sirius didn't betray my parents. Besides, did you think that….that Peter Pettigrew is also still there? I can protect you, Sara. I know I can."

Harry heard the trembling in his voice and hoped Sara hadn't noticed it. Hurriedly he suppressed his doubts and wished he would have spent much more time with learning spells and curses. Sara studied him silently. Almost considering, but Harry couldn't guess her thoughts.

„Let me help, Sara. After all…if it weren't for me, you all would be happy now." he whispered.

"Harry! What are you getting at? That it is your fault?"

He didn't answer. The next instant Sara stood in front of him, and gently raised his chin.

"Harry, answer me. Do you think it's your fault?"

Wordlessly he nodded, unable to say anything. Sara looked at him.

"I thought Sirius had spoken with you about this." she said more to herself.

Harry averted his gaze and suddenly found himself in a tight embrace.

„No, Harry. If you believe that, you are mistaken. It isn't you fault, never was. We love you. Sirius loves you as he surely told you. For you he risks everything. To protect you, he endures everything. Nothing ever could change this. And if it hadn't been for you, Sirius would have never fled to Canada. He and I would have never met. So without you, our family would not exist. Faith would have never been born."

Sara pushed him back a bit and looked at him seriously.

"Harry, did you ever blame Sirius for what has happened?"

Harry's eyes widened.

"No! I…"

"And why then do you blame _yourself_?"

She lightly stroked his hair.

"Sirius and you, you are both so stubborn. Neither he nor you are responsible for everything that happened. And the only one who is to blame is Voldemort. He has started this war, after all. So if you want to blame anyone then him Harry! But not you!" she said forcefully.

Harry managed half a smile, clung to Sara and felt how tears started to run across his cheeks.

"Thank you, Sara." he whispered in a choked voice and leaned his head against her shoulder. Sara held him and after a while she said,

"We will rescue him, Harry. Whatever we have to do, we'll do it. And perhaps it's really better when you and Faith come with me as much I'd wished for you to stay here. But I, after all, do not have any magic."

Hearing the bitter tone in her voice, Harry withdrew from Sara's arms and quickly dried his tears.

"Sara, I'm sorry. What I said earlier, I didn't mean it like this. I…"

"I know, Harry. I know how you meant it. And I think you are right. I know so little about the magical world and you and Faith…in this one matter you know more than I. Only for that reason I will take you with me. Otherwise I would have forbidden it. It's dangerous. I do not want that something happens to you. I couldn't bear to lose you. And of course Faith will also want to come along. If I take you with me, I surely can't forbid her." she said and sighed.

"That she would never forgive me."

Then her face turned hard. Harry felt Sara's hand on his shoulder.

„We have survived all those years. This we also will survive, Harry and if we have to take on the whole Order of the Phoenix and Voldemort's followers, we will help Sirius."

* * *

Had he read the letter once or already two times? Remus didn't know anymore. His gaze slid across the writing, the oblique letters. 

_I'm Sara Black…I'm Sirius Black's wife…Whatever you might think right now, I implore you to read my letter to the end…it is also about Harry…Harry is fine…since I'm a Muggle…the magical world is strange to me…Sirius told me everything…it is the truth…pain in Sirius' eyes, as he spoke of James and Lily…fear that no-one would believe him…Peter Pettigrew betrayed the Potters…completely desperate…You are the only one who can help Sirius…I'll come with the children to London…meeting point _

Stunned Remus stared at the letter. He seemed unable to think straight. Involuntarily he remembered the day he had stood opposite of Sirius after such long time. Ever since he had asked himself about the reason Sirius hadn't killed him. He recalled how Sirius had beseeched him to listen to him. The letter would give an explanation if the therein mentioned events really corresponded to the truth.

Then Sirius would have had a more than good reason to want him to listen to him and he had not done it. Caught in his hate he had only wanted to defeat Sirius, had wanted to take him captive at all costs and had been prepared to do everything necessary for Sirius telling him where Harry was. But if Sirius was innocent, then why had he taken Harry with him so many years ago? Why hadn't he just said the truth?

With trembling fingers Remus picked up the one photo. A boy about ten years looked at him. His emerald eyes sparkled and laughed. It was without doubt someone who was the spitting image of James.

Remus forced himself to avert his gaze from the photo and turned his attention again to the letter. His eyes slid to a name and he couldn't believe it. Peter should have been the traitor? Peter should have betrayed Lily and James to Voldemort? Could that really be true?

Remus shook his head. He didn't know what to think, what to believe. And what should he do now? Should he show the letter to Dumbledore? Should he…While he still was thinking his gaze fell on the date of the meeting for which Sara had asked. The next instant he sat bolt upright in his armchair. Today! The meeting which Sirius' alleged wife had suggested was today. Remus looked at his watch and sharply breathed in. If he didn't want to miss Sara, he had to hurry. He jumped up and raced to the door. He had to have certainty; he had to know, had to…

Only with effort he managed to avoid Claire who stepped towards him with a questioning worried expression on her face.

"Remus…"

He merely shook his head, ran on. He didn't hear anymore how she called his name. That the Apparation succeeded little later, was a miracle. As he had arrived in Diagon Alley and had reached the Leaky Cauldron, he noticed that he wasn't exactly appropriately dressed for undertaking an excursion into the Muggle world. But a glance at his watch convinced him that he had no other choice. And currently he had indeed other worries than to ponder about his clothes.

It was only good that the Tower Bridge wasn't too far away. Money to take a taxi he wouldn't have had. He began to run.

Finally the bridge came into view. He quickened his pace. His hand flew to his wand. If it was a trap he wanted to be prepared. Quickly he looked around. But only a young woman stood lonely and alone a few metres away from him. As she had written him, she wore a green pullover. Hesitantly she stepped towards him. She was small and slim. The thick dark-brown hair hung dishevelled into her pale slender face. Dark shadows were under her eyes.

She looked at him.

„Mr. Lupin?"

He nodded, he wasn't capable of speaking. Silently he gazed at her. He saw the fear in her grey eyes.

"Where's Harry?" he asked the next moment.

"Why do want to know that?"

"Why…."

Remus broke off, regretted that he hadn't taken Claire along. Since one thing he had realized by now. This young woman was either a brilliant actress or a despairing, frightened woman who had lost the man she loved. And the former he doubted. So he said as calmly as he was able to,

"I would like to see Harry again, to assure that he is fine. I've come alone. You can trust me. I only want to understand. Your letter…it's difficult…"

"Sirius did not betray Lily and James." Sara said.

"He blames himself bitterly up to this day. Please, believe me. Do help Sirius, please."

Sara's voice broke and Remus heard himself say,

"Sirius is alive. The French Ministry has agreed to hand him over to us. As far as I know he shall arrive in Great-Britain today. If he's really innocent, he has nothing to fear."

Sara closed her eyes, held for a moment onto the bridge railing.

"He is innocent." she softly said.

Remus regarded Sara silently. Finally he said,

"Bring me to Harry. Please."

Sara didn't move. Slowly she raised her head and for the first time she looked straight into his eyes.

"Sirius trust you." she said and turned around.

This sentence hit Remus hard. Sara had already reached the end of the bridge, as he finally could move again.

While they walked along the street, Sara suddenly began to speak. She told him about Harry, Sirius and about Faith. Remus listened, couldn't quite believe that Sirius had a daughter and stopped involuntarily. Did he already believe it? Did he believe that Sirius was innocent?

"We are here."

He gazed up and yet wouldn't have been able to say how the hotel looked like. Sara led him through the plain little hall and up the stairs. In front of a door she came to a halt, fetched out a key. Then, however, she hesitated, stared at him again. She didn't trust him and he couldn't blame her.

„I only want to make sure that Harry is fine." he said quietly.

Sara took a deep breath and put the key into the keyhole.

As they entered the room, the soft voices ebbed away. Remus' gaze fell on the children who were sitting on the blue settee, on the black-haired boy who looked at him with large emerald eyes. They were Lily's eyes. Remus looked at the little girl who had snuggled up into Harry's arms and had indeed an undeniable resemblance to Sirius.

He stepped forwards.

„Harry…" he whispered and felt how tears welled up in his eyes. Back then, as he had heard of the betrayal, of James' and Lily's death, of Harry's abduction he had not been able to cry a single tear, all the long years he hadn't been capable of weeping, but now the tears running across his cheeks didn't want to stop. He had found Harry. After endless long years he finally had found Harry.

* * *

While hurrying through the empty corridors of Hogwarts, Peter's thoughts still dwelled on the Order assembly which had taken place mere moments ago. The news that Sirius had been indeed brought to Hogwarts and was now really here had scared him deeply. He knew that he had to act. If Sirius would get the chance to tell the truth he would be doomed. It was a miracle anyway, a concatenation of fortunate events that the truth hadn't come to light long ago.

Peter shook his head as he recalled what Dumbledore had told them. Immune against Veritaserum, who would have thought that to be possible? Sirius, however, seemed to be it. And the French Aurors who had been so eager to get Sirius to talk had made him drink a far too high dose and thus had nearly killed him. What a pity that they hadn't succeeded, he thought regretfully.

In front of the door he hesitantly came to a halt. He realized that he didn't have a plan, hadn't come here with a certain intention. But if he wanted to prevent that Sirius let out the truth and he was sent to prison, he had to put Sirius out of action, and Remus would surely not let the opportunity pass up to speak with Sirius after having done everything in his power to find Sirius and take him prisoner the last years. Today Remus hadn't been present, however, and Claire had rather evasively answered when Dumbledore had worriedly asked about Remus' whereabouts.

Peter reached out his hand for the door-handle and forced himself to turn his thoughts from Remus back to the urgent question what he should do now. He opened the door and slowly entered the hospital wing. Pomfrey was nowhere to be seen over which he only was relieved.

He had never liked the nurse. Next to the bed one of the ministry's Aurors was sitting and guarding his prisoner with a rather sour expression. He turned around and looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"If you want to have answers Pettigrew, it's pointless. He is more or less unconscious."

Peter nodded and carefully stepped closer. In front of the bed he stopped. Sirius' face was ashen. He restlessly tossed and turned.

"Harry, Sara…Faith." He muttered in a hoarse voice.

"I must…must…"

Peter cast a sidelong glance at the guard. Though his attention was directed at Sirius the Auror shifted around in his chair.

"Are you sitting here already long?" Peter casually asked.

"Since morning."

"If you want I can stand in for you for a few minutes. It wouldn't be any problem."

The Auror looked up, hesitated.

"Well, he should not make things difficult for you." he finally said and nodded to Sirius.

"Thank you, Pettigrew. I won't be long."

Peter nodded and couldn't believe his luck. That was it; there would not be a more opportune moment. This was very likely his only chance. Who knows how long it took for Sirius being well again. Dumbledore had murmured something about a few days with grim face, at least, that was what Pomfrey believed.

Peter turned to Sirius and raised his wand. But he hesitated. He knew that he had to kill Sirius, he had no other choice. He took a deep breath. But before he could say the Killing Curse, Sirius' eyes flew open. With much effort he tried to sit up.

"I've to go to them…Sara, Harry, Faith….have to go to them…" he gasped.

Peter whose heart nearly had stopped beating tried to get his fear under control. Sirius didn't recognize him, he suddenly realized. Sirius' eyes were bloodshot and shone with unnatural light.

Peter stared at Sirius who had managed it out of bed by now and had fallen to his knees. If he succeeded to smuggle Sirius out of Hogwarts and to hand him over to the Dark Lord, then…

„Wait, I'll help you." he said as softly he could and bent down. Blue eyes wildly gazed up at him.

Once more he repeated the names he had just murmured a few moments ago.

"Yes, I'll bring you to Harry, Sara and Faith. Come."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

As Remus realized that he was staring at Harry and Harry had noticed it, Remus quickly averted his gaze. To give Harry an uncomfortable feeling was, after all, the last thing he wanted. Actually, he would have preferred to do nothing more just now than to take Harry into his arms and to hug him tightly to himself, but he ignored that impulse. Harry didn't know him and likely would not have accepted an embrace from him. He had unsettled Harry already enough with his tears, Remus thought and tried to get his conflicting feelings under control.

Sighing he leaned back in his armchair and waited for Sara and the children to pack their few things.

How much a single conversation could change, though still a part of him seemed to resist believing what Harry had told him. Still he couldn't quite grasp the truth. The knowledge that he had done Sirius wrong all those years was hard to bear. If he would have only waited then and listened when Sirius had asked him for that. How much sooner he would have had discovered the truth; how much sorrow they all would have been spared. That Harry and little Faith had suffered under the situation had become more than clear. Now, far too late, he deeply regretted to have attacked Sirius then.

"Will he believe us?"

Startled Remus looked up and swallowed as he saw Harry's emerald eyes which looked at him, scared and hopeful at the same time. As he had told Sara and the children that they had to go to Hogwarts on the fastest way, there had been an oppressive silence for a while. Harry and Faith had looked to Sara and the young woman to him. Even if he knew that it was hard for the three to trust him and that he shouldn't be surprised, it nevertheless pained him. Only as he had said that there wasn't any other possibility to help Sirius, Sara had agreed.

Remus slowly stood up and dared to put an arm around Harry. Whether Dumbledore would believe them was indeed the question, but that Albus had to be told the truth was certain.

The truth had to come to light, Sirius had to be acquitted, another one condemned.

Apart from that Albus would be able to handle the situation best, he would know what there was to do, and he would talk with the Minister of Magic and would initiate everything necessary.

"Yes, he will believe us." Remus said and hugged Harry cautiously close for a moment.

As Sara said that they were ready little later, Remus enchanted the luggage to a size that it fit easily into Sara's handbag, which earned him a headshaking from Sara and set off to Hogwarts with Sirius' family.

Since Remus didn't want to waste unnecessary time and didn't see another possibility, he led his companions to a deserted little street and flagged down the Knight Bus, which still brought wizards and witches to the places they wanted and whose owners didn't care whether they provoked the anger of the Dark Lord by refusing any Death Eaters to use their bus.

His money, as he had checked, would be barely enough. Casting a glance at Harry, he simultaneously told Harry to keep his scar hidden. Though the Knight Bus wasn't exactly a favourite means of locomotion of Remus, it would serve the purpose this time. He ignored the astonished glances of Sara and the children and urged them to quickly sit down on the beds. While Sara tried to hold onto something with white face, the children seemed to find the drive funny, at least, judging how they squealed clung to each other.

Remus was nevertheless more than glad as they could get off in Hogsmeade.

"Everything all right?" he asked Sara quietly whose face still was rather pale.

She nodded wordlessly. Remus smiled at her and indicated her and the children to follow him.

They had hardly taken a step forward, as Remus noticed the Aurors who ran all over the street. He frowned and just wanted to stop one of them and ask what had happened as a familiar voice called his name.

"Remus! Where on earth were you? I was so worried about you." Claire exclaimed and relieved flung her arms around his neck. Remus briefly hugged her close and pushed her then away.

"Claire, what happened?" he asked, fighting the bad feeling down which rose in him.

Claire looked to his companions. He saw the curiosity in her eyes, but only when he nodded, she began to speak.

"I don't know anything definite. Apparently Peter Pettigrew wanted to visit Sirius Black. And now both have disappeared. The Auror who had been guarding Black shortly left the hospital wing and knows of nothing. Anyway, it seems that Black succeeded to escape. Obviously he has taken Pettigrew as hostage. Though it is a complete mystery how he should have managed it in his condition to have not only attacked Pettigrew but to escape, let alone to stand up from bed."

Speechless Remus stared at Claire, gazed then to Sara and the children, who clung to Sara.

* * *

Peter, Harry thought and felt how he froze. Desperate he looked up.

„Sirius was injured?" he asked softly. Even if he feared the answer, he had to know. Harry clutched Sara's arm, and briefly closed his eyes. Everything in him felt the urge to hope that Sirius had indeed escaped. But according to what the young woman had just said, something else seemed far more likely. If Peter had Sirius in his power, then Sirius was lost. Peter would bring him to Voldemort.

"Sirius?" he heard Claire ask. He sensed how she looked at him searchingly, and noticed his scar. Her eyes widened. She wanted to say something, but before she could, Remus pleaded,

"Please, Claire, was Sirius injured? I'll tell you everything in a moment."

Claire swallowed.

"The French Ministry wanted to question Black under Veritaserum, but it seemed not to show any effect, so that they gave him a rather high dose. The result was that he lost consciousness.

I think his condition was rather grave. Anyway, according to what I've heard. That's why I also don't understand how he should have managed…"

"Peter will bring Sirius to Voldemort, Remus!" Harry said and looked at Remus, who nodded with worried face.

"Come, let's go. We can't lose any time."

While they hurried to the castle, Harry heard how Remus spoke to Claire and told her in brief words who they were and what had happened, but Harry didn't pay great attention to that. He could only think of Sirius, in which deadly danger he was in. As Faith's small cold hand sneaked in his, he squeezed it and looked up. They had nearly reached Hogwarts and with huge eyes Harry stared at the castle. Sirius had often told him of Hogwarts, but his imagination didn't match the reality in the slightest. Even if he was beside himself with fear and worry for Sirius, he couldn't help himself. Awed his gaze scanned the towers and battlements.

Harry looked to the side and saw that Sara and Faith also hadn't remained unimpressed.

A little later they stepped through the main entrance and Remus led them along a broad corridor.

Harry turned his attention from the moving paintings away and riveted it on Remus' slender figure. Even if he was rather sure that Remus had believed them and was now convinced of Sirius' innocence, Harry couldn't suppress his doubts completely whether they could really trust Remus.

Harry knew that Sirius considered Remus still as a friend and yet he couldn't forget how much Sirius had been wrong about Peter Pettigrew. And now Peter had betrayed them again. Harry pressed his lips together. No, he didn't want to think where Sirius was now or how he fared. Sirius would return, somehow everything would turn well again, he had to believe it, he just had to. Harry was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice how Remus came to a halt and murmured a word.

"Sorry." he quietly said as he ran against Remus.

Harry flinched as the stony gargoyle in front of them suddenly moved and let a spiral staircase became visible.

They went up the narrow stairs and Remus knocked at the door. At their entrance the wizard who sat at a massive long desk raised his head.

"Remus, there you are. Your absence had us worried. What brings you…"

Harry who had stood behind Remus had taken a step to the side. He looked straight into blue eyes, which seemed to have the ability to look into his soul. While trying hard to sustain the gaze, Harry uncomfortably shifted from one foot to the other. Slowly he felt anger rising in him. He forced himself to calmly remain staying and stared now as well at Albus Dumbledore, tried to remember what Sirius had told about the leader of the Order of the Phoenix. Involuntarily he wondered what would have happened if Sirius had gone to Dumbledore then. Would the old wizard had believed Sirius or would Sirius' fear of prison had been justified?

"I think there is much to discuss." Albus finally said and stood up.

And barely a moment later they were sitting in comfortable armchairs and Harry had to convince a stranger of Sirius' innocence for the second time this day, which took long. Dumbledore had a lot of questions and Harry felt how he became more and more impatient. Sara seemed also to know that he was shortly before jumping up and losing his self-control. She put a hand on his arm and shook slightly her head.

Dumbledore cast a glance at both of them and continued his questioning. And Harry answered and even asked something himself from time to time.

"Though I still have difficulties to understand why Sirius escaped then instead of telling the Order and me the truth, I do believe you, Harry." Albus said at last.

Standing up he gave Remus and Claire some orders and seemed to have forgotten Harry completely to his astonishment.

While Remus stayed behind with Albus, Claire brought them to two rooms and said that the Order of the Phoenix would decide as soon as possible what to do. After Claire had left them alone, and Harry asked himself angrily why they couldn't take part in the assembly, too, three strange little creatures appeared and brought them something to eat. Faith, who was curious, found out that they were house-elves and Harry would have been fascinated of the magical beings if he hadn't been much too caught in his fear for Sirius. The food, though delicious, he nearly left untouched.

"Harry, you have to eat something." Sara admonished him gently, but Harry shook his head.

Faith also ate only little and even Sara managed her portion only half.

As Sara saw how Harry and Faith yawned and effortlessly tried to hide their tiredness, she sent both to bed. Harry protested.

"I'm not tired yet."

"Yes, you are. It was a long day and who knows how long it will still take for the Order to decide what to do."

But only when Sara had promised him to wake him up immediately should Claire come to them and make a report as she had promised, he went with Faith to the other room. While Faith, who hardly could keep her eyes open anymore, fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow, Harry didn't feel the slightest desire to sleep, no matter how exhausted he might be.

After a while he found the air in the room suffocating. He stood up and went to the window. As the chilly night air surrounded him, he sighed and padded back to the bed. He stumbled over one of their bags and fell to his knees. Cursing he began to stuff the things which had fallen out back into the bag. The wand of his father he unceremoniously thrust into his trouser pocket. Even if he usually didn't need a wand, it couldn't do any harm.

As Harry picked up the little photo album which Sirius had taken with him then he stopped. He opened it and looked at the pictures of his parents. As his gaze fell on one of the pictures whereon his parents sat in the grass in front of a little green house and his mother hold him in her arms, a thought flashed through Harry's mind.

"Godric's Hollow." he murmured.

Neither Sirius nor Dumbledore, as he had asked him earlier, had been able to tell him how he should have managed it to defeat Voldemort, nor why Voldemort had wanted to kill the Potter family at all costs.

But perhaps he would be able to find an indication in his parents' house. Granted, it was a crazy idea and probably it would not bring anything, but everything was better than to wait here and to do nothing, while Sirius was in the power of Voldemort. Harry knew that he had to do something, however little promising it might be, otherwise he would suffocate at this helpless fury he felt since he had read of Sirius' arrest in the newspaper. Though he had the vague presumption that a visit to Godric's Hollow would also not bring him the enlightenment what he could do to rescue Sirius, he somehow had the feeling that it was important that he went to the house of his parents.

He placed the photo album on his bedside locker, silently left the room and joined Sara who had snuggled up in one of the armchairs and was staring motionless at the ceiling. She didn't say anything as he sat next to her, only put wordlessly her arms around him. They were still sitting so, as a soft knocking rang out and Remus and Claire came in.

As Harry heard that the Order wouldn't act immediately, but would first try to find out where Sirius was kept prisoner, he was more than disappointed. But to Remus' logic that it would help no-one, least of all Sirius if the Order attacked each known hiding place of Voldemort and his followers and hoped that the Dark Lord would not take away the prisoner as soon as the Order members should succeed – what was rather unlikely – to storm the hiding place, Harry couldn't close his mind. Let alone that each member of the Order would risk his life for a venture that was as good as hopeless and moreover completely reckless.

On top of that it was difficult enough to defend Hogwarts and the other headquarters of the Order as Remus explained. Under no circumstances could they withdraw the defence of those places. Claire and Remus tried to encourage them and finally wished them a good night. They were already at the door as Harry straightened up and called Remus' name.

"Could you take me to Godric's Hollow?"

Remus raised one eyebrow, looked astonished at him.

"To Godric's Hollow?"

"Yes, please, Remus. Couldn't you do me this one favour?"

"Harry, what on earth do you want there?"

"I don't know. I was never there. It's the house of my parents. Please, Remus, take me there."

Remus sighed and exchanged a glance with Claire. It was Claire who said,

"Why not?"

"Snape will surely tell Voldemort that Harry is in Hogwarts. I hardly think that it will occur to the Dark Lord to send his followers to Godric's Hollow."

Remus looked still doubting, but he agreed to Harry's relief.

"Tomorrow?" Harry asked and Remus nodded.

As Harry lay in bed shortly afterwards, he hugged an old teddy bear, which Sirius had given him a few years ago, close to himself and tried desperately to fall asleep. He didn't succeed, however, as his thoughts over and over again wandered to Sirius. Only when Sara, who looked after them, noticed that he was still awake and she took him into her arms, he finally fell asleep, secured in her warmth.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"We are there." Remus said.

With huge eyes Harry gazed at the dense hedge, and then hesitantly walked through the garden gate, which Remus held open for him. Following the narrow path, Harry looked at the grass that brushed his legs knee-high. As his eyes fell on the little dark green house, Harry drew in his breath. It was rather insignificant, and yet Harry had the strange feeling to come home, that he belonged to this place. Here his parents had lived; here he had spent the first year of his life.

Raptly Harry regarded Godric's Hollow. Only when Remus called his name, he tore himself away from the studying of the house, and went to Remus, who stood in front of the door and seemed to be waiting for him.

"I can't open the door. Come, Harry, you should manage it." Remus said.

Harry, however, stared cluelessly at Remus.

"What…what shall I do?"

"Just put your hand on the doorhandle. The door should, actually, recognize you."

Harry nodded and reached out for the handle. In his thoughts he asked the door to open, even if he felt rather ridiculous. One moment nothing happened. But suddenly Harry sensed strange warmth beneath his hand. He wanted to withdraw his hand, but was unable to, and then with a soft click the door opened. Astonished, Harry stared at the open door.

"See? What did I tell you?" Remus said smiling, and let him go first.

"How did you do that?" Faith exclaimed and excitedly seized his hand. Harry shook his head, but didn't answer as he stepped into the hall.

"Claire, Harry, take your wands." Remus ordered them quietly.

Harry clutched his and inquiringly looked at Remus. Remus frowned.

"There is no dust here." Remus replied, and as Harry looked around, he realized that Remus was right. The parquet floor shone and on one of the little tables which stood at the wall, he saw a vase with red roses. Odd, Harry thought and turned to the others. Sara had pulled Faith close to herself, and Remus walked slowly to one of the doors. But he hadn't come far, as a high squeaky voice rang out. They spun around.

"Harry Potter has returned!"

Harry's gaze fell on a little greenish creature that had appeared at the bottom of the stairs, bowed and then straightened up again. Huge, bulging eyes in which tears were shimmering, stared at him. Relieved Harry lowered his wand. That the house-elf was a danger to them, he didn't believe. The house-elf, whose name was Bigi, as he discovered shortly afterwards, was anyway overjoyed to see him. Harry almost smiled as Bigi proudly led them through the house.

"Bigi is so happy that young master has finally returned!"

While Harry listened to Bigi's excited chatter, an idea occurred to him. He stopped dead in his tracks, held his breath.

"Bigi? As Voldemort came to Godric's Hollow then, were you, actually, here in that night?"

Bigi flinched, looked at him timorously, but she nodded.

"Yes, Bigi was here." she whispered.

Harry fought against the excitement, which suddenly gripped him.

"Bigi, do you know what happened then? Did you see what happen?"

The little house-elf wrung her hands, gazed to the ground.

"Bigi knows." she breathed.

„Tell me, Bigi. Please."

And Bigi began to talk.

_The little house-elf put the toys scattered on the floor in the cupboard and watched how Lily Potter swung the laughing and kicking baby trough the air. Lily gave Harry a kiss on his cheek and set him on a blue blanket. Harry muttered something and crawled to the colourful little blocks which Bigi hadn't taken away yet. The young woman brushed her red hair out of her face and began to put clean sheets on Harry's bed. It was quiet in the house. Only Harry's occasional mumbling could be heard. But suddenly a scream rang through the house. _

"_Lily!"_

_Lily froze. _

„_James…" she whispered. _

_For one moment the young woman stood motionless. Then she spun around and kneeled next to Harry. She took his hands and started to move her lips silently. A white light surrounded her that slowly enveloped Harry, too, who earnestly looked at his mother, as he would know that something important was happening. _

_Lily bent down, kissed him on the forehead and pressed him close to herself. _

"_Harry, I love you, do not forget that." she whispered and her voice broke. _

_As heavy steps came up the stairs, Lily stood up. Her face was pale. She staggered, tried to hold onto the cradle. But the cradle fell and Lily sank to the ground. _

_Bigi raced to Lily and wanted to help her mistress. But she never got round to that. Lily had gripped the hands of the little house-elf. _

„_No, you can't help me anymore. The spell takes effect. Bigi, swear me that you won't do anything, whatever may happen. You won't use your Elven-magic to help me, nor Harry. Do you understand? Swear it!" _

"_Bigi swears, if Lily Potter wishes."_

"_Thank you, Bigi. Now hide."_

_Bigi hurried to the fallen cradle and hid behind it. Paralyzed with fear she stared at the wizard who had suddenly appeared at the door. Red eyes scanned the room, riveted finally on the kneeling young woman. _

"_Won't you oppose me? Won't you fight against me, Lily Potter?"_

_Lily looked up. Emerald eyes shone with such a light that the Dark Lord involuntarily took back a step. An answer she didn't give, however. _

_Anger flickered over Voldemort's white face. He raised his wand. In the next instant a blinding green light shoot towards Lily. _

_The Dark Lord came closer, halted, gazed down at the motionless figure. _

"_So proud until the end. But I wonder why you didn't fight against me as you always did?" _

_Frowning Voldemort turned his attention to the child, who looked at him with the eyes of his mother. Once more the Dark Lord raised his wand. _

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

_As the curse hit Harry, a radiant white light flamed up. The white light mingled with the green, and before Voldemort could have reacted, the ball of light raced towards him and engulfed him. Screaming he disappeared behind the white flames. And suddenly the flames changed into a grey fog, which, with a last agonizing scream vanished into the night trough the open window. _

_The little child began to cry. As he unskilfully straightened up, a few drops of blood ran over his face. Bigi just wanted to creep from behind the cradle, as again quick steps sounded through the house. _

_The wizard, who entered the room little later, stared with expressionless black eyes at Lily and Harry. But he didn't make any move to lift his wand. Bigi, who couldn't bear Harry's crying any longer, stood up and in her haste to reach her charge, stumbled over one of the cushions. The wizard spun around. In the next instant Bigi was hit from a red light. _

"That's the last think I remember." the house-elf whispered.

"When I awoke, everyone was gone."

Harry wrapped his arms around himself. He was cold. He was glad as Sara stepped to him and drew him close. Harry buried his head at Sara's shoulder and felt the tears running down his cheeks. Though a lot of things were still obscure, of one matter he was convinced. He freed himself from Sara's arms and looked up.

„It was my mother who defeated him. It wasn't me." he softly said.

* * *

As Harry saw the heart with the initials of his parents, which had been carved in the enormous cherry tree, he had to blink against his tears which welled up in his eyes. As of his own accord he raised his hand and traced the lines and the letters. In this one instant as he stood in the garden of Godric's Hollow, he desperately wished to have known his parents. As much as Sirius had told him of his parents, Harry felt a boundless longing for his parents of whom he had no memory.

"Harry?"

Remus had to call his name a second time, before Harry turned around to him.

"We should return to Hogwarts. I didn't inform Albus. I wouldn't have thought that we would stay so long in Godric's Hollow. I do not want Albus to worry and possibly send a search party after us."

Harry nodded and once more gazed at the little heart.

"James loved Lily very much." Remus said who had followed Harry's gaze.

"It was, I think, in our fifth school year as James immortalized himself and Lily. But then they weren't together yet. And Lily would have surely never thought that she would marry James, of all people, one day."

Harry sadly smiled and looked up. Remus seemed to have lost himself in his memories as he walked in direction of Claire who stood with Sara and Faith on the terrace.

Bigi broke into tears as they said good-bye and Harry also had difficulties to leave Godric's Hollow. After a drive in the Knight Bus, which shook them thoroughly, they set off to the castle. After a while Harry thoughtfully turned to Remus.

"I would like to return to Godric's Hollow, Remus. There is my home." he said.

Even if he saw understanding in Remus' eyes, Remus didn't seem to be very taken with his wish.

"Hogwarts is safer, Harry."

"Why? No-one knows that I'm here. Not even Sirius…"

Harry's voice broke and Remus put an arm around his shoulder.

"Besides, Bigi would be definitely happy."

After a short silence, Remus sighed.

"If it means so much to you…Before, however, we should tell Dumbledore about it."

Surprised Harry looked up.

"But if you don't mind, Claire and I will come with you. I don't want to lose you one more time, Harry."

Harry didn't know what to say in the first instant and finally whispered a soft thank you, more than glad about Remus' intention to come with them.

A little later they stood in front of Albus' office door and Remus knocked. Dumbledore was not alone, however, as Harry saw. The witch, who wore square glasses and whose black hair had been tied to a bun, he introduced as Professor McGonagall. But it was the tall, hook-nosed wizard, who attracted Harry's attention. Harry recognized him immediately. And before he knew, he exclaimed,

"It was you, who cursed Bigi!"

"I shall have done what?"

The voice was icy; the black eyes watched him ominously.

"Bigi, my house-elf. You cursed her in that night as Voldemort killed my parents. Why…why were you there?"

Without noticing, Harry took a step closer to Remus. Dumbledore raised one eyebrow and hurried to explain. Unbelievingly Harry stared at Professor Snape as he heard of his activity as a spy. Though Sirius had told him that the Order of the Phoenix had spies, he had never told him their names.

"Then you know where Sirius is?" Harry asked hopefully.

"No, I don't know, Mr. Potter. I haven't been able to find a hint concerning Blacks whereabouts." was the chilly reply.

Before Harry could ask the spy why he hadn't found any indication yet, Albus asked them to sit down and a moment later everyone had a cup with hot tea and a plate with biscuits in front of himself, but neither the biscuits nor the tea interested Harry in the slightest.

"Harry?"

The tone in which Albus spoke his name caused Harry to close his mouth again. The leader of the Order of the Phoenix regarded him with sad blue eyes.

"Everything that is possible is done, Harry. Severus and our other spies do everything in their power to find out where Sirius is kept imprisoned. But Voldemort doesn't have only one headquarter. Unfortunately he has several. Apart from that our spies have to be careful.

A wrong question, a wrong step and they could give themselves away. Should Voldemort find out about their deception, he would kill them. Harry, I know that it is hard, but we can't do more. It would be much too dangerous and wouldn't bring us the desired result. All would only senselessly risk their lives."

Harry averted his gaze and clenched his fists. As much as he hated it, he had to admit that Dumbledore was right and he knew that Sirius also wouldn't have wanted that the whole Order would betake themselves in danger for his sake and got involved in a venture which could only end with death or an arrest. But this knowledge didn't help him against his terrible fear and worry which filled him when he thought of Sirius; against the helpless fury.

Silently Harry sipped his tea and listened how Remus told Dumbledore of his wish to live in Godric's Hollow in the meantime. After a while of pondering, Dumbledore agreed. He riveted his gaze on Remus and Claire.

„Perhaps it is even better if Harry, Sara and Faith stay in Godric's Hollow. Since Sirius and Peter have disappeared, more and more people of the ministry appeared here and Harry's identity should remain secret as long as possible. More complications we hardly need. And if the minister discovers that Harry is here….No, the fewer people know of Harry the better it is for the time being."

The conversation quickly turned to the events which had taken place in Godric's Hollow and Harry sighed inaudibly, as it became clear that even Albus Dumbledore couldn't give him a satisfying explanation why he had survived the Killing Curse or could say him which spell his mother had used. While Dumbledore regarded his remaining biscuits with thoughtful face, Harry disappointed drank his tea out and let his thoughts wander. Suddenly Harry put his cup down with a clanging sound, and looked Severus Snape directly into the eyes.

"Did you…did you try then to help my parents?"

"If there had been a possibility, I would have seized it, Mr. Potter. Unfortunately none existed." Snape curtly replied, and suddenly standing up, he apologized and in the next moment he had left the room. Confused, Harry stared at the door.

"Severus discovered Voldemort's intentions to murder the Potters too late. He couldn't warn us anymore, and he had no other choice than to accompany Voldemort to Godric's Hollow and to let it happen. I'm sorry, Harry, but we couldn't safe your parents." Dumbledore said quietly.

"Why didn't he take me along?" Harry asked after a while.

Dumbledore slightly shook his head.

"He told me that he had wanted to report to me as fast as possible and you hadn't been seriously injured. So he left you there."

Harry nodded, even if he didn't understand and wasn't exactly convinced that Snape had done everything in his power to help his parents.

As they left Dumbledore's office and Hogwarts little later, Harry was relieved. Silently they returned to Godric's Hollow. Bigi was overjoyed about their return and once again tears shimmered in her huge eyes.

Claire and Bigi cooked something for lunch, but Harry could only eat a little. He saw that Sara and Faith hadn't much appetite either. As soon as lunch was over, Harry went through the house with Faith and tried to distract himself. Even if he found many things interesting and especially remained staying long in front of the many pictures which hung on the walls, he never succeeded in banishing the worry for Sirius completely out of his mind. With a last glance at the picture whereon his mother sat with shining eyes together with his father under the cherry tree, he walked with Faith back into the living room. Faith snuggled up into Sara's arms, who tiredly and exhausted talked with Remus and Claire.

Harry stepped to the window and looked out in the garden. As he leaned against the wall, a little book which lay on the table next to Claire's armchair drew his attention. He took it and studied it. The book looked rather old and battered. He opened it and stared at the silver snake which was depicted on the first page. He continued to leave through it and looked astonishingly at the black pages and the silver, squiggled lines. He had not the slightest intention which language it was, but his surprise increased as he realized that he was able to read the lines, that he understood them. As he suddenly comprehended that it had to be the diary of his mother, he sharply breathed in. For one moment he stood completely rigid.

Then he pressed the book close to himself and left the room. In the entrance hall he hesitated and gazed to the stairs. But he didn't want to go to his room. To see the nursery for the first time, had hit him hard. Since Bigi, though she had seen to it that the house didn't go to rack and ruin, had left everything as it had been once, his cradle still was lying there and even the cushions and the blanket were still there.

Finally Harry went to the garden. There he would find peace as well. He walked to the stony bench and sat down.

His mother hadn't written often and regularly into the book and yet Harry discovered a lot. It was a strange and indescribable feeling to read the thoughts and the feelings of his mother. As he was reading how happy she had been about his birth and Sara's voice which called him to dinner, startled him, he noticed that his cheeks were wet with tears. But about supper he couldn't have cared less. He only wanted to read on. As he didn't answer, Sara came to him.

"Everything all right, Harry?"

Harry shook his head and threw himself into Sara's arms. She didn't say anything, only held him fast and slowly he calmed down. They sat down and Harry told Sara of the diary he had found.

"How much I wish that I had a memory of them." Harry murmured and looked at his hands.

Sara brushed a strand of hair out of his face and gave him a kiss.

"Oh, Harry, if I could give you memories I would do. But I know that your parents loved you more than anything else. Never forget that."

After Sara had brought him a bite to eat and had left him again alone, he delved into his book. As he read that his mother had had dark forebodings and indeed had expected that Voldemort would attack them, Harry sat up abruptly and nearly knocked over his cup. His eyes flew over the lines and as he read the spell his mother had found in an ancient book, a spell which was all the more powerful the more someone loved and wanted to protect something, he once again felt tears running down his cheeks.

"She gave her life to rescue me." Harry whispered.

"It was my mother." he murmured just as he had hours ago.

Shaken he went inside the house and just as Faith snuggled up into Sara's arms. He didn't want to be alone now, he couldn't be.

As Sara sent Faith to bed and shortly afterwards him as well, he was hardly able to keep his eyes open. And yet he couldn't put the book aside. It hurt him deeply to read the book and yet he hungered for each word of his mother. Even if he didn't understand many things, he nevertheless found out that his mother had been a direct descendent of the Slytherins, as his father a descendent of the Gryffindors, something what was the reason as his mother had suspected that Voldemort had wanted to kill them by all means. Again fury flared up in him and it took him a while before he could read on.

Harry found three more spells in the book, spells his mother had thought could defeat Voldemort. On the last page he found them again. One was encircled and beneath it his mother had written: _'more powerful than Avada Kedavra?'_

Harry stared long at the handwriting of his mother, asked himself why his mother hadn't used this spell if she had thought that it was even more powerful than the Killing Curse.

But perhaps she had not been sure, as the question mark let him assume, perhaps she had thought that she wouldn't succeed in defeating the Dark Lord.

With the book in his arm, Harry sank into his pillows, but falling asleep he didn't for a long time. It was a restless night. Nightmares jolted him out of his sleep. He dreamed of the things Bigi had told him, of his parents and of Sirius. And as he once more stared into the darkness and listened to his far too hasty breaths, his lips formed the spell which his mother had encircled.

And at the next day he began to teach Faith, Remus and Claire to hiss the spell, where he discovered of Remus to his surprise that it was the language of the snakes. An ancient gift which Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders of Hogwarts, had once possessed and since then had passed to his descendants. But as Faith hissed something what was far away of having even the slightest resemblance to the old Parsel-spell, Harry shook his head and riveted his attention on teaching the spell to the others.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The headache had become worse. Sighing Peter ran a hand over his forehead. Even if it had been four days ago that Lucius Malfoy had screamed at him how he could have been so foolish to let Sirius escape, he still heard his scornful voice. Where could Sirius have gone to?

Had he fled to Remus? Or maybe to Godric's Hollow? Suddenly Peter was wide-awake. He jumped up and left his house. Perhaps everything wasn't lost yet.

* * *

„Will Dad come back?"

Harry flinched as he heard Faith's voice, and her little warm hand sneaked in his. Swallowing, he looked down into her face. He put an arm around her slender shoulders and drew her close.

"We have to believe that he will return. We have to." he said and felt how he trembled. Why, why didn't the Order of the Phoenix do anything to help Sirius? Why couldn't Dumbledore think up a plan how to rescue Sirius out of Voldemort's power?

But there wasn't any indication concerning Sirius' whereabouts as Dumbledore had told him again just yesterday as Remus and Claire had taken Faith, Sara and him to Hogwarts. And Snape had said it would still take a while till they would have searched all possible hiding places. Harry, who had decided that he didn't like Snape, had been able to keep back a cutting remark only with much effort.

Even as they had been sent away once more while the Order was meeting and Remus had taken them to Hagrid, his mood remained gloomy. Hagrid, who served them biscuits hard as stone and just seemed to be happy to finally get to know him, was so effusive and nice that you just had to like him, but the fear for Sirius caused everything else to appear insignificant for Harry.

Harry sighed, looked to the narrow silhouette of the moon and tried to suppress the helpless fury which filled him for days. There just had to be something they could do. There had to be some way! But what should he do? What should he achieve against Voldemort and his followers, if not even Dumbledore could do something? He was a child, he was ten years old and even if the whole magical world believed that, he had certainly not defeated Voldemort then. His mother had defeated the Dark Lord for short time and had paid with her life for it.

"I want to Dad." Faith whispered and nestled into his arms.

Once more Harry felt how feelings of guilt overcame him. He forced himself to recall the words which Sara had told to him. No, he said to himself. It wasn't his fault. It was entirely Voldemort who was responsible and bore the blame, not he.

Harry tightened his hold on Faith's hand and walked through the garden with her, towards the stony bench, which stood beneath the old oak. They sat and Harry took his sister into his arms.

"I also want Sirius to come back, Faith." he murmured and heard how his voice shook.

Silently they held each other. Finally Harry said,

"Come, Faith. It's slowly getting cold. We should return to the house." and stood up.

"You do not want to go already, do you? Now, as I've finally found you."

Harry spun around and froze. In front of him, only a few metres away, Voldemort stood, surrounded by some of his followers. There was no doubt that it was the Dark Lord. Red, snake-like eyes stared at him out of a white face.

"Did my sight leave you speechless?"

The cold, mocking voice and the laughter of the Death Eaters let Harry forget his fear. And while he clutched with one hand Faith's and with the other his wand, he glared at the wizard who had killed his parents.

"Where is Sirius? Where do you keep him imprisoned?"

"Sirius? Sirius Black?"

Harry, however, didn't answer. Had it been really surprise that had flared up in those red eyes for the fraction of a moment? Whatever Voldemort might have expected that he asked such a question he surely hadn't. Hope blazed up in him. Was Sirius perhaps not kept prisoner? Had he escaped that traitor of Pettigrew?

"Yes, Sirius Black stays in my dungeons. He's still alive, but not for long anymore. Don't you want to see your godfather again?"

Harry heard the amusement in the cold voice and realized that Voldemort was playing around with him. He swallowed and the hope which had seized him, vanished immediately as he suddenly grasped that Faith and he were in deadly danger. The fear threatened to overwhelm him. _What should he do?_ Voldemort would kill them both. And that mustn't happen. That he would never forgive himself. Oh, why had he only insisted upon going in the garden? And why had Faith only followed him?

Talk, he had to talk. Perhaps Sara would miss them. If he managed to put Voldemort off, then perhaps something would occur to him. He opened his mouth, but no sound wanted to escape him. What cut through his fear, which paralyzed him, was a loud bark, a threatening growl. In the next instant Harry saw a huge dog racing towards Voldemort and his followers.

And then hell broke out. Sirius transformed and screamed,

"Harry, Faith, run!"

While Sirius attacked the Dark Lord and his followers, Voldemort shouted,

"Bring me the boy!" and raised his wand.

Harry, who was still holding Faith's hand, threw himself instinctively to the ground and pulled Faith with him. Like coming out of a thick fog, he heard Sara's, Remus' and Claire's voices which called their names. Harry, however, resisted the urge to turn around and let go of Faith's hand.

"Run to the bushes, Faith and hide! Go!" he hissed and jumped up.

Not a moment too soon. Only with effort he managed to avoid the curses. Voldemort and two of his followers had come frightening close. Harry knew that he had to defend himself. He had no choice. And then he didn't think anything anymore. He fought for his life. Some spell broke through his magical shield and the power of the curse caused him to fall on the knees. Dizzy he tried to get on his feet again. But to his greatest surprise no further curse hit him. Harry looked up and struggled to his feet. His opponent fought with Dumbledore. How the leader of the Order of the Phoenix had come here, Harry didn't know, but he hadn't the strength to think about that.

Frantically he looked around and what he saw caused him to freeze. Voldemort held Faith.

„Potter, if you do not want that something happens to her, come here and throw your wand away."

Faith screamed and tried to break loose, but Voldemort's grip was too strong for her. Harry lowered his wand and walked towards them.

"Drop you wand, Potter!"

Harry gazed into Faith's white face and let go of his wand. The following events Harry would never clearly remember later. Only the fear and the hate remained crystal-clear in his memory. As Harry did what the Dark Lord had demanded, a smile slid across Voldemort's gaunt face. Then he waved his hand and Faith fell screaming to the ground. Before Harry could react, Voldemort had seized his arm.

"A second time you won't escape me." he hissed.

Harry fought with all his might. _Faith, he had to get to Faith!_ Suddenly something crashed into them and Voldemort's grasp loosened. Harry broke loose and flung himself next to Faith. While Sara threw herself at Voldemort and trashed away at him maniacally, Harry broke Voldemort's curse. Faith's screams stopped, but she didn't stir, lay motionless in his arms.

"_Sara, Faith!"_

Sirius' scream caused him to look up. Sara slowly sank to the ground and Harry jumped up. White-hot rage and hate swept him away. For a moment his gaze met with Sirius'.

"Help me, Sirius!" he screamed and raised his hand.

But his hissing wasn't the only one. Remus and Claire who suddenly had appeared next to him, had used the ancient curse as well. Their silver rays crossed and the glaring light hit Voldemort with full force. From Sirius's wand shoot a blinding green light. And Sirius as well didn't miss the Dark Lord. Harry saw how the light engulfed Voldemort. It was the last thing he saw before darkness surrounded him.

* * *

Cautiously Sirius ran a hand over Harry's forehead. Still Harry was glowing with fever and Sirius sighed. Harry would survive, but it had been narrow. The curse had cost him much strength and on top of that he had performed magic without a wand. Something Sirius still didn't know how Harry had managed that.

Shaking his head, Sirius pulled the blanket tighter around Harry. Never again he wanted to suffer such fear. As he had thought that he had lost Sara and Faith, something in him had broken. That he had indeed used the Killing Curse, for the first time in his life, he still couldn't believe. Even in his times as an Auror he had never used this curse. But perhaps the fact frightened him more that it absolutely didn't bother him. He didn't regret it. To protect his family, he would have done everything.

He thought of the hate, the cold fury he had seen in Harry's eyes as Harry had asked for his help. Almost black his eyes had been and Sirius hadn't been able to suppress a shudder. That a child should feel such hate was just not right.

Suddenly he sensed two tender arms surrounding him. He leaned against Sara and closed his eyes.

"Do you know what I ask myself? If it would have ever come so far, hadn't I escaped then?"

"Oh, Sirius. You aren't to blame for everything that happened, no more than Harry. Do finally stop to reproach yourself. Don't you think it is time at last to forgive yourself?"

"Perhaps you are right." Sirius said quietly, opened his eyes and turned around. With one hand he caressed Sara's cheek, bent forward and kissed her. As he finally broke apart, it took a while for him to get his breath back.

"I hadn't thought that I would ever see you again." he said hoarsely and thought of those moments he had kneeled next to his family, beside Sara and the children, who had lain lifeless in front of him. Only as he had gradually became aware that all three were breathing, he had jumped up, and had frantically screamed for a healer.

That the remaining followers of Voldemort surrendered after the fall oft their master, he didn't notice. Only as Sara and the children had been brought to Hogwarts and were taken care of, he had realized that no-one had arrested him. And there, beside Harry's bed, he had faced Remus, who had looked at Harry with worried expression. But in the first hours and the following night they had hardly talked with each other as they had kept watch. Sara had regained consciousness the next day. She had recovered fast. The condition of the children, however, had been critical for a long time, so that they had returned to Godric's Hollow only two days ago.

A gentle touch jolted him out of his thoughts. He looked up. Sara smiled and her voice was light. But in her eyes was something that hadn't been there before.

"Didn't I tell you once that you won't get rid of me so easily?"

Wordlessly Sirius pressed Sara close to himself. How much he loved Sara. As Sara writhed out of his arms, she said,

"Come to the terrace. Let Harry sleep. Bigi will look after him."

He nodded.

"Yes, I'll come immediately."

Sara gave him yet a short kiss and left.

For a while Sirius still sat at Harry's bed and regarded his godson. Finally he stood up and bent over him. Something just had occurred to him. Faced with sheer worry he had purely and simply forgotten which day today was.

"Happy birthday, Harry." Sirius quietly said and kissed Harry on the forehead. Sadly he looked at Harry's motionless, sleeping figure.

He straightened up, turned around and stopped dead in his tracks. In the open door Remus stood and gazed at him silently. Sirius sighed soundlessly. He knew that he owed his old friend an explanation. During the last days it hadn't come to a longer conversation between them and Sirius had neither searched for an opportunity. The relationship between them was strangely aloof. They had become strangers. Nothing had remained of the closeness and the trust which had once been between them. If they had been alone, an uncomfortable silence had hung over them for the most time. And now they silently stared at each other, not knowing how to begin, how they should bridge the last ten years. It was Remus' voice which hesitantly broke the silence.

"Why did you flee then, Sirius? Why didn't you come to me and told me the truth?"

Sirius swallowed, tried to gather up enough courage and yet knew that, if he didn't tell the truth now, every chance for a new beginning between them would be destroyed.

"Perhaps I should have really done that. Perhaps thus much sorrow would have been spared Harry and us. I don't know, Remus. But when I found James and Lily, I was beside myself. And the knowledge that it had been me who had persuaded them to trust Peter was unbearable. James and Lily wanted to have me as the Secret Keeper. Lily wasn't taken much with my suggestion to trust Peter. I, however, was convinced…I thought…"

"…that it would be the perfect solution to prevent that James' and Lily's hiding place would ever be found." Remus finished the sentence.

"You've suspected me, didn't you? You've thought I had gone over to Voldemort."

Sirius forced himself to look Remus straight into the eyes.

"Yes, I did. And that I'll never forgive myself. I've done it because you are a werewolf and that is inexcusable. I don't know whether you'll be ever able to forgive me for this. But that I realized only later. In that night at Godric's Hollow, Remus, I was stunned, speechless, couldn't believe what had happened. And as Hagrid came then and said that Harry should live with his aunt and uncle, there I couldn't do anything else but to flee. I only wanted to bring Harry to safety and I feared that I would be taken to Azkaban, before I could explain the truth."

„You know that it happened a few times. Even the Order brought innocents into prison." he added a moment later and realized only know that they still were standing in Harry's room.

Remus was silent and finally shook his head.

"Come Sirius, let Harry sleep and recover. There is no point in thinking about what could have happened, had you not escaped with Harry. The main thing is that Harry and we are alive and that Voldemort has been defeated. And Harry and Faith will get well again."

Amazed Sirius followed Remus out.

"Then you are…then you aren't…"

Remus put a hand on his arm, smiled sadly at him.

"Yes, Sirius, I've forgiven you. You have, I think, suffered enough by knowing which consequences you decisions caused then. Apart from that I have to ask your forgiveness, too.

I've suspected you as well. For years I believed that you betrayed James and Lily. Though I, actually, should have known that you wouldn't be capable of doing such a thing. And also for fighting against you then, as we met and I didn't listen to you. I'm sorry."

Mutely Sirius stared at Remus. Unable to say anything, he timidly reached out his arms.

The next moment they hugged each other. As they both had regained back their composure, Sirius said,

"It's already forgotten. After all, it was me who injured you, for what I'm sorry in turn. And Remus, thank you; thank you for everything you did for Harry, Sara and Faith."

Remus nodded, his cheeks turning red.

"For this you don't need to thank me. That was self-explaining."

A little later they walked together to the terrace. Sirius gazed at little Faith who, wrapped up in a colourful blanket, slept peacefully in Sara's arms and then looked up into the bright blue sky. Yes, the nightmare was finally over and as soon as Faith and Harry would be again on their feet, they would catch up with celebrating Harry's birthday later.

* * *

As Harry woke up, he was lying in a bed. He opened his eyes and blinked. The bright light which streamed into his room pained him. _Where was he? What had happened? _

Memories rose in him, but it were only fractions and they slipped away from him again.

Carefully he turned his head. His gaze fell on a small figure who sat sleeping in the armchair which stood next to his bed.

All of a sudden his memories returned. He froze and sat abruptly up, only to sink back into his cushions with a groan as pain exploded in his head.

"Harry, you are awake!"

"Faith…." Harry whispered and just couldn't grasp it as Faith jumped up and threw herself into his arms.

"You are alive."

One moment later Sirius and Sara entered the room. With beaming faces they embraced him.

"Sirius." Harry breathed and could hardly believe it. It took long until he withdrew from Sirius' arms.

"What happened? Where were you? We thought Voldemort had taken you…"

Sirius gave him a squeeze and shook his head. Then he began to tell how the Veritaserum that had been given to him had made him ill and how Peter had abducted him out of Hogwarts.

"We had almost left Hogwarts already as my thoughts became clearer. Perhaps it was the fresh air; anyway I became aware of my surroundings again. I recognized Peter and attacked him. Something that hadn't been the most intelligent, I know. Moreover I did not even have a wand, but my anger and hate were stronger. And hadn't I been such a wreck, after those fools poured Veritaserum into me in bucketfuls, I would have defeated him.

Thus Peter, however, managed to put me out of action. I don't know why but he dragged me to the Shrieking Shack, tied me up there and left me then alone. I think he just panicked. Besides, he had always had difficulties to deal even with the easiest spells when he was excited and nervous. Maybe he wanted to fetch reinforcement. But for whatever reason he left me in the Shrieking Shack, it was a more than unbelieving luck.

I knew that I had to leave the Shack as soon as possible. But I couldn't untie the bonds. Desperate I tried to find a way out. Finally I transformed into my Animagus form and thus managed to cast off my bonds. The next four days I spent on the streets. I was still a bit disorientated and exhausted. So it took a bit longer for me to finally reach Godric's Hollow. There I thought I would be able to recover and to regain my strength. Then I wanted to return home, and to you. But as I reached Godric's Hollow, I saw to my greatest horror you and Faith surrounded by Voldemort and his followers. I had hardly seen you, there I already acted. Without thinking I rushed straight at Voldemort and his Death Eaters."

Sirius fell silent, seized his shoulders and drew him close.

"Never again give me such a fright, Harry. Do you understand me?" he said and pushed him a bit away.

Harry nodded and sank back into the cushions.

"What happened to Voldemort?"

Sirius smiled coldly.

"He is defeated. We've killed him. And this time he really is dead. It will still take long until all followers of Voldemort have been found and taken to court, but I'm sure that the war will be over soon, now where Voldemort was killed."

Harry shuddered as he recalled Voldemort's red, merciless eyes.

"I'm glad." he quietly said and then he remembered something.

"How did Dumbledore get here, by the way? Where did he know it from?"

"For that we have to thank Bigi." Sara said.

"As we heard Sirius' barking and raced in the garden, she set off to Hogwarts."

"Yes, she saved us all. If no help had come…" Sirius said, but didn't finish his sentence. Shaking his head, he ran a hand over his forehead.

"Bigi I completely had forgotten. That I didn't see her then…but even if it presumably wouldn't have changed anything."

"How did Voldemort actually know that we were in Godric's Hollow?" Harry asked after a while.

Sirius' eyes darkened all of a sudden.

"We don't know for sure. We can only assume it. But I fear that Peter searched for me and when he found out that you were staying in Godric's Hollow, he must have informed his master immediately." he said and pressed his teeth together.

"Peter, that rat, has disappeared of course; escaped. But one day he will pay for it. One day he will pay for what he did to James and Lily and us."

Then he smiled and brushed a strand of hair out of Harry's face.

"But now sleep. You are still rather pale, Harry. And I will inform Remus and Claire. They were also worried about you."

Sara gave him a bit tea, feed him like a baby and covered him with the blanket. The last thing that Harry saw was Sara, chasing Faith out.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Casting a last glance at the Witch Weekly, Sara enervated threw the magazine on the table.

There were still too many things she just didn't understand.

Sighing she raised her face towards the sun and savoured the still warm sun rays. Even if it was already mid-October it was a nice day.

Hearing Sirius' and Faith's laughter ranging out to her, she smiled slightly, filled with boundless gratitude. Occasionally she still could hardly believe that they all had survived the encounter with Voldemort. Sara suppressed a shudder, when recalling those moments she had thought her daughter dead. If she only would have possessed magic, if she only would have been able to, she would have killed that bastard in cold blood.

That she would feel such hate one day, she would have never thought. But since Sirius and Harry had stepped into her life, she had experienced many surprises and unusual things. And probably that would also not change in the future she thought, smiling to herself. Then she shook her head and thought once more of Sirius' suggestion to stay here. More or less she had agreed but did she really want to remain living in Godric's Hollow? In a world she didn't belong to? In which she would always feel strange? In which she would hardly manage?

Against her will her thoughts wandered to the first weeks after Voldemort had been defeated. As soon as the ministry and the minister had heard of the events, Dumbledore had had to use his entire powers of persuasion to convince Fudge that Sirius was indeed innocent. And still there had been doubts, the minister would have liked to do nothing more than to drag Sirius into the ministry and to question him there.

But since Veritaserum would have no longer the desired effect on Sirius, there hadn't been a possibility anymore to ascertain the truth beyond doubt. What saved Sirius from an arrest, were the testimonies of the Order members who had hurried to their aid at that day. A Death Eater would have hardly attacked his master with the Killing Curse and to that logic even Fudge couldn't close his mind to.

But as stubborn as he was, he had indeed wanted to take Sirius to court for abduction of Harry Potter. This thought filled Sara with anger up to today.

But Fudge had given up this plan very quickly, as surprisingly the lawyer of the Potters had appeared on the scene. In the young Cole they had found an unexpected ally. As Sirius had told her, Cole's father had been murdered by Death Eaters scarcely three weeks after Voldemort's first fall and since then the son had administered the Potter's property.

Cole had said that Sirius as Harry's godfather had had every right to take the child to safety after his parents' death so that everything had turned out well in the end.

If only the children would have weathered the experiences just as well. But Sara knew that this wasn't the case. She saw it in Harry's and Faith's eyes. It would take its time until both had coped with the events. Harry seemed moreover to blame himself for the death of his mother. Sirius and she had both talked with Harry, but whether Harry had really accepted that he was not in the least responsible for the events, she doubted. Both my two, Sara thought affectionately. Sirius and Harry were in some ways so similar to each other. Sirius as well reproached himself for his former decisions.

But perhaps it would do them both good to stay here, not only Harry who should go to Hogwarts next year but also Sirius. Here in this house Sirius couldn't escape his memories. Sirius actually hadn't wanted to stay in Godric's Hollow at all, but Harry loved the house of his parents so that Sirius had reluctantly resigned himself to stay here. And if it made her family happy to live in the magical world how could she be against it then? After all, Sirius had also spent nearly ten years in her home country, among Muggles. Something what couldn't have been exactly easy for him, as she now realized.

Anyway, thus she could assume that it would surely not get boring in the future.

Sara fished for the magazine and opened it in the middle. Perhaps she should indeed discover a bit more about the magical world, if she would live here in the future, she thought and cast a glance in direction of the terrace door, where quick steps and laughter announced the arrival of Sirius and Faith.

* * *

After Harry had walked round the house for he third time, he dropped himself exhaustedly in the grass and leaned against the thick trunk of the cherry tree. He was glad that he finally possessed enough strength again to spend a longer while outside of the house. How he had hated it having to stay in the bed because he had been too weak to stand up. But that was fortunately over now. And also his magic he would be able to use soon again.

Harry sighed. Never before had he had to mind not to use his magic, and he found it more than difficult. He longed after it, and yet knew that he couldn't perform magic. It was too dangerous. He had learned it on the hard way, had not wanted to believe Dumbledore, the healers in Hogwarts and Sirius, who had forbidden him with grave faces to use magic for the time being since he, as they had told him, had nearly used up his entire magic as he had used that Parsel-spell.

Thus he had tried to perform magic and had promptly fainted. Harry made a face as he remembered. Patience, he had to have patience. Anyway that was what Sirius constantly told him when his bad mood got out of hand. But that wasn't exactly easy. He had never been especially patient. And Madame Pomfrey, the nurse, had in reply to his question how long it would still take, only been able to shake her head and had said she didn't know. How should he be patient there?

"Harry!"

Hearing Faith's voice, Harry stood up. Faith ran towards him, and grasped his hands.

"We've a wish free. Dad said we can wish us something!" she said and looked up with radiant eyes.

Harry smiled as he gazed at Faith. A strange mixture of relief, happiness and fear rose in him. He was happy that Faith could laugh in this moment, but the last night was still fresh in his memory just as many nights before. Once more he saw Faith sitting with wide eyes in her bed, deeply frightened of the nightmare which had gripped her. And again she had sought protection of him. Sirius and Sara didn't know that Faith came to him at night, didn't know anything of the nightmares.

Or of his, Harry thought. As he comforted Faith, so she comforted him. That he rarely slept through a night, he didn't mind however. He loved Faith so much and he knew that he, hadn't it been for his little sister, would never have found the strength to use that ancient spell he had discovered in his mother's diary.

"Really? Why?" Harry asked.

Faith jumped up and down.

"Dad told me of Hogwarts and I was sad that I can't go to school with you next year. So he said I'd have a wish free instead and I said that you had to have one as well. There he said we should think up something together."

Harry squeezed Faith's hand and smiled.

„Thanks, that was nice of you."

"Yes, it was, wasn't it?"

While Faith loudly pondered what they could wish for, Harry's thoughts wandered to Hogwarts. He would attend Hogwarts not until next year. With his present inability to use his magic, it would not have made sense to start earlier. Apart from that it would still take a while before he would regain his old energy. As school had begun, he hadn't been able to just take more than two steps.

And Harry wasn't necessarily sad about that. As much as he was looking forward to go to Hogwarts as much did he dread it. Neither Sirius nor Sara had succeeded to hide the newspapers from him. He hated the idea that he was famous, was celebrated because he had defeated the Dark Lord. Harry pressed his lips together as he recalled the newspaper's articles he had read and again helpless anger filled him. It wasn't true what the newspapers wrote. He had never defeated Voldemort. Then it had been his mother. He, a one-year old baby, hadn't had any part in it.

He lived because his mother had given her life for him. And also two and a half month ago he had not defeated Voldemort. There still would be a war going on, hadn't it been for Faith, Sara, Sirius, Remus and Claire, as well as Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix. And not to forget Bigi who had seen to it that help arrived just in time. If he had faced Voldemort alone, the world would still be lost to darkness. He knew it. But that no-one wanted to know. The truth seemed not to interest anyone.

Least of all Fudge who had wanted to speak with him by all means to present him with some medal he didn't want to have at all. And to meet with the minister he absolutely didn't want. Not after Fudge had wanted to arrest Sirius at all costs. He had discovered it by accident only later as he had listened to a conversation between Sirius and Remus, some weeks after having woken up from his unconsciousness.

But luckily Dumbledore had succeeded to convince Fudge that he was still too ill and also the reporters had believed his words that he had stayed the first weeks in Hogwarts and since then dwelled out of the country to recover as Albus Dumbledore had said. The smile which slid across Harry's face vanished as they reached the little stony bench. Somehow the bench evoke bad memories in Harry.

Though Dumbledore had assured him that he had fixed the wards at the house himself, Harry didn't feel completely safe. Though the war was over, a greater part of Voldemort's followers were still at large, even if the Order and the ministries of the different countries made every effort to find them and to take them prisoner. Peter Pettigrew had also been caught, about which Harry wasn't exactly unhappy and waited for his trail.

Suddenly Harry realized that Faith had asked him a question and was waiting for his answer.

"What did you say?"

"I've asked whether we can't go home. I know that we live here now, but I miss our tree house, the forests. Here aren't such forests as back home. And I want to grandma and granddad."

Looking in Faith's sad blue eyes, he was also overcome by a feeling of home sickness. He saw their house in front of his eyes, his room. Even if he hadn't been born in Canada, there he had grown up, and Faith's grandparents he considered as his own. He missed them very much and they would be happy, too. They had been so worried on the phone.

„And Remus and Claire could also come along." Faith excitedly said.

Harry shook his head.

„Faith, you know that they want to marry soon."

"They can marry there. They will surely like it."

There wasn't anything to say against that and Harry looked to the terrace where Sirius and Sara were standing and waving at them.

"Yes, perhaps they will come along, too." he said and cast a sidelong glance at Faith.

"Come!" he said and began to run.

As Sirius glanced at Harry and Faith and heard their laughter, his mouth twisted into a bright smile. He was so happy and relieved that the happenings hadn't traumatized them forever. The occurrences they would never forget, but with time the memories would fade.

How tall Harry had become. Eleven years, Sirius thought astonished and shook his head. Even if he perhaps had done some mistakes, his promise to protect Harry he had kept. If James and Lily could only see her son now, but he knew that they would be proud of her son.

"Of what are you thinking?"

Sirius turned around and put an arm around Sara.

"Of the past."

Sara raised herself on tiptoe and gave him a kiss on his cheek.

"You shouldn't do that too often. Rather you should look in the future." she said, took his hand and drew him in direction of the children who radiant with joy and out of breath had finally reached the terrace.

Yes, to the future, Sirius thought and wondered what he and Sara should do now; now, where hopefully no-one would hunt them anymore, now, where they didn't need to hide anymore. Smiling Sirius took his family into his arms. There was indeed a lot he had to think about.


End file.
